Patent Number: 054486122
Section: summary

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART This invention relates to an exposure apparatus and, more particularly, to an X-ray exposure apparatus using synchrotron radiation X-rays (SR X-rays) for transferring and printing a pattern of a mask onto a subsgrate such as a wafer. With increasing degree of integration of a semiconductor device, exposure apparatuses using synchrotron radiation X-rays (SR X-rays) have been developed which apparatuses are able to transfer and print a fine pattern, of a minimum linewidth 1/4 micron, for manufacture of a DRAM of 100 megabits or more. The practicalization of such exposure apparatus has been advanced largely by improvements in an exposure system of The type that the SR-X ray beam a sheet-beam shape emitted from an Synchrotron Orbital Radiation (SOR) ring is diverged by a convex mirror in a direction perpendicular to the orbit plane of the SOR ring. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In such SR-X ray exposure apparatus, uniform X-ray exposure amount has to be kept upon the surface of a substrate being exposed. However, there is a tendency that the strength of SR-X rays at the emission point on the SOR ring attenuates with time. This necessitates continuous monitoring of X-ray strength during the X-ray exposure operation as well as controlling the moving speed of an exposure controlling shutter device, adjacent to the substrate, in response to the change in the X-ray strength. Also, it is necessary to precisely control the relative position and the attitude (tilt and rotation) of the mirror relative to the sheet-beam like X-ray beam from the SOR ring. More particularly, where the direction of advancement of the sheet-beam like SR-X ray beam is taken in a z-axis direction, the thickness thereof is taken in a y-axis direction and the width thereof is taken in an x-axis direction, it is necessary to position, very precisely, the reflection surface of the mirror in the three axial directions (x, y and z) as well as rotational directions (wx, wy and wz) about the three axial directions, respectively. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved exposure apparatus that assures more precise-pattern printing operation. It is another object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device manufacturing method based on such an exposure apparatus as above. These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.