Patent ID: 8625072

Claim:
An exposure apparatus which projects a pattern of a reticle onto a substrate via a projection optical system using slit-shaped light while scanning the reticle and the substrate, thereby exposing the substrate, the apparatus comprising: a stage which holds the substrate; a positioning mechanism which positions said stage in a first direction to scan the substrate and a second direction parallel to an optical axis of the projection optical system; a measurement device which measures a level of the substrate that is a position of the substrate in the second direction at a plurality of measurement points located with spacings therebetween in the first direction; and a controller, wherein the plurality of measurement points include a first measurement point, and a second measurement point within a region in which the slit-shaped light is incident on the substrate, the exposure apparatus is configured to measure the level of the substrate at the first measurement point using said measurement device, and scan the substrate while positioning said stage in the second direction using said positioning mechanism based on the level measured at the first measurement point, and said controller causes, before the substrate is exposed, said measurement device to measure the level of the substrate at a predetermined position on the substrate at the first measurement point while said stage accelerates, and measure the level of the substrate at the predetermined position at the second measurement point while said stage moves at a constant velocity, calculates a difference between the measurement results of the level of the substrate at the predetermined position, which are obtained at the first measurement point and the second measurement point, respectively, to obtain the calculated difference as a correction value for a measurement error due to factors associated with acceleration of said stage, and scans the substrate while controlling said positioning mechanism based on the level of the substrate measured at the first measurement point and the obtained correction value, when the substrate is exposed at a given position after the level of the substrate at the given position is measured at the first measurement point while said stage accelerates, and scans the substrate while controlling said positioning mechanism based on the level of the substrate measured at the first measurement point, when the substrate is exposed after the level of the substrate at the given position is measured at the first measurement point while said stage moves at a constant velocity.