Light exposure and illuminating apparatus

Abstract

A light exposure illuminating apparatus is provided which, employing harmonics of a continuously outputted laser beam, is small-sized, inexpensive and free from speckles and which achieves a high light source utilization efficiency. Specifically, a harmonics generating 1 generates light with fourth harmonics which are scanned by a scanning lens 2 and reflected and swept by a polygonal mirror 3. A cylindrical reflecting mirror radiates the sweeping fourth harmonics reflected by the polygonal mirror 3 onto an arcuate aperture formed in a light exposure mask. The light of fourth harmonics transmitted through the arcuate aperture reaches a reticle 7 set on a semiconductor pattern. The illuminating light passed through the reticle 7 is projected onto a wafer 9 via a concave mirror 5 and a convex mirror 76. The area of light exposure may be increased since the reticle 7 and the wafer 9 are moved in synchronism with the scanning of the scanning optical system.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.