Exposure method and apparatus

A projection exposure apparatus for exposing a photosensitive material having a characteristic in which effective light intensity is nonlinear to an intensity of incident light to be applied thereto, said apparatus comprising:

• a projection optical system for projecting a first pattern having a first region on a first photo-mask and a second pattern having a second region on a second photo-mask onto said photosensitive material;
• and
• a mechanism for replacing said first photo-mask with said second photo-mask to project said second pattern onto said photosensitive material, wherein the respective intensity distributions of said first and second patterns projected on said photosensitive material are partially overlapped and the peaks thereof are isolated, wherein no portion of the positions occupied by said first and second regions, when said first and second patterns are respectively projected, is overlapped, and wherein a distance between the peaks of the intensity distributions is less than a distance defined by the limit of resolution of the projection optical system.

A projection exposure apparatus for projecting a pattern including a line pattern onto a photosensitive material, comprising:

• a projection optical system for projecting said line pattern onto said photosensitive material;
• and
• a polarized plate being so arranged that incident light to be applied thereto passes therethrough, wherein said incident light is polarized along a longitudinal direction of said line pattern.

A projection exposure method using a projection optical system, said method comprising the steps of:

• projecting a first pattern from a first region of a first photo-mask onto a photosensitive material, wherein said photosensitive material has a characteristic in which effective light intensity is nonlinear to an intensity of incident light to be applied thereto, and
• projecting a second pattern from a second region of a second photo-mask onto said photosensitive material, wherein the respective intensity distributions of said first and second patterns projected on said photosensitive material are partially overlapped and the peak thereof are isolated, wherein no portion of the positions occupied by said first and second regions, when said first and second patterns are respectively projected, is overlapped, and wherein a distance between the peaks of the intensity distributions is less than a distance defined by the limit of resolution of the projection optical system.

A projection exposure method using a projection optical system, said method comprising the steps of:

• projecting a first pattern from a first region of a first photo-mask onto a photosensitive material through a transmitting film, wherein said transmitting film has such a property that intensity of outgoing light traveling through said transmitting is nonlinear to an intensity of incident light to be applied thereto, and
• projecting a second pattern from a second region of a second photo-mask onto said photosensitive material, wherein the respective intensity distributions of said first and second patterns projected on said photosensitive material are partially overlapped and the peaks thereof are isolated, wherein no portion of the positions occupied by said first and second regions, when said first and second patterns are respectively projected, is overlapped, and wherein a distance between the peaks of the intensity distributions is less than a distance defined by the limit of resolution of the projection optical system.

A projection exposure method comprising the steps of:

• forming a photosensitive material, wherein said photosensitive material has a nonlinear sensitivity characteristic in which effective light intensity is nonlinear to an intensity of incident light to be applied thereto;
• and
• projecting a line pattern on said photosensitive material, wherein light for projecting is polarized along a longitudinal direction of said line pattern.

A projection exposure method comprising the steps of:

• forming a transmitting film on a photosensitive material, wherein said transmitting film has such a property that an intensity of outgoing light traveling through said transmitting film is nonlinear to an intensity of incident light to be applied thereto;
• and
• projecting a pattern onto said photosensitive material through said transmitting film.

A projection exposure method comprising the steps of:

• projecting a first pattern onto a photosensitive material, wherein said photosensitive material has a characteristic in which effective light intensity is nonlinear to an intensity of incident light to be applied thereto;
• and
• projecting a second pattern onto said photosensitive material, wherein intensity distributions of said first pattern and said second pattern are different in said photosensitive material, wherein a distance between the peaks of the intensity distributions is less than the distance defined by the limit of resolution of a projection optical system used for projecting said first and second pattern.