Image farming and microdevice manufacturing method and exposure apparatus in which a light source includes four quadrants of predetermined intensity

A projection exposure apparatus for projecting an image of a pattern of an original on a workpiece, said apparatus comprising:

• an X-Y stage for supporting thereon the workpiece and being movable along X and Y directions in an X-Y coordinate system defined in said apparatus;
• means for forming a secondary light source having decreased intensity portions at a center thereof and on first and second axes defined to intersect with each other at the center and defined along the X and Y directions, respectively;
• a condensing optical system for illuminating the pattern of the original with light from said secondary light source;
• and
• a projection optical system for projecting on the workpiece an image of the pattern illuminated with the light from said secondary light source,
• wherein said secondary light source comprises four sections having substantially the same light intensity and being distributed in four quadrants defined by the center and the first and second axes, and
• wherein an image of the secondary light source is projected onto a pupil of said projection optical light intensity and being distributed in four quadrants defined by the center and the first and second axes,
• wherein an image of the light source is projected onto a pupil of a projection optical system, and wherein, on the assumption of a coordinate system defined by X and Y axes extending along the first and second directions and intersecting at a center of the pupil, and that a radius of the pupil is 1, coordinates of centers of the four sections are (p, p), (-p, p), (-p, -p) and (p, -p), wherein 0.25<p<0.6.

A projection exposure apparatus for projecting an image of a pattern of an original onto a workpiece, said apparatus comprising:

• an X-Y stage for supporting thereon the workpiece and being movable along X and Y directions in an X-Y coordinate system defined in said apparatus;
• means for forming a light source having an intensity distribution such that the portions at a center thereof and on first and second axes defined to intersect with each other at the center and defined along the X and Y directions, respectively, are decreased in comparison with the portions of said light source other than said center portion and the portions along the first and second axes;
• a condensing optical system for illuminating the pattern of the original with light from said light source;
• and
• a projection optical system for projecting on the workpiece an image of the pattern illuminated with the light from said light source,
• wherein said light source comprises four sections having substantially the same light intensity and being distributed in four quadrants defined by the center and the first and second axes, and
• wherein an image of said light source is projected onto a pupil of said projection optical system, and wherein, on the assumption of a coordinate system defined by X and Y axes extending along the first and second directions and intersecting at a center of the pupil, and that a radius of the pupil is 1, coordinates of centers of the four sections are (p, p), (-p, p), (-p, -p) and (p, -p), wherein 0.25<p<0.6.