Patent ID: 7868909

Claim:
A multi-beam exposure method in which a two-dimensional light modulator is used, and pixels for modulating light are arrayed two-dimensionally in the two-dimensional light modulator, the multi-beam exposure method comprising: dividing, by a pixel block shifting member, a plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed exposure beam spots into a plurality of blocks with respect to a scanning direction, the plurality of two-dimensionally arrayed exposure beam spots being projected onto an exposure surface from the two-dimensional light modulator such that the plurality of exposure beam spots are arranged in parallel with the scanning direction; and effecting scan-exposing in a state in which a relative position between blocks is shifted by the pixel block shifting member in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction such that exposure of a space in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction between the exposure beam spots is carried out with the exposure beam spot of another block.