Patent ID: 7248333

Claim:
An apparatus for forming a pattern comprising: a light-modulating unit, including a plurality of regularly arrayed light modulators, configured to expose an area of a photo-sensitive material by selectively directing light emitted from a light source to the area of the photo-sensitive material; a scanner configured to scan the exposure area, exposed by said light modulating unit, along a direction defined by a series of scanning bands; a pattern data processor configured to generate band-pattern data corresponding to each scanning band on the basis of pattern data matching a preceding pattern that is repeatedly and regularly formed on the photo-sensitive material; a light-modulating controller configured to control said light modulators in accordance with the band-pattern data to form a pattern on the photo-sensitive material; a position-error detector configured to detect a position-error of the preceding pattern relative to a pattern area surrounded by a grid defined on the photo-sensitive material so as to encompass the preceding pattern; and a correction value calculator configured to calculate an alignment correction value in each pattern area on the basis of the position-error, to overlay the pattern on the preceding pattern, wherein said pattern data processor is further configured to correct the band-pattern data in accordance with the alignment correction value while classifying each exposure data of the band-pattern data into a corresponding pattern area.