Projection exposure apparatus and method for controlling a stage on the basis of a value corrected by ABBE error

A scanning exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern of a mask onto a substrate to be exposed, with projection through a projection optical system, said apparatus comprising:

• a substrate stage being movable while carrying the substrate thereon;
• a mask stage being movable while carrying the mask thereon;
• laser interferometric measuring means for measuring a position of said substrate stage and a position of said mask stage;
• a memory for memorizing, with respect to each of different positions of said substrate stage and of said mask stage, information related to an Abbe error produced in accordance with a deviation of an exposure position of said projection optical system and a measurement point, for said substrate stage, of said laser interferometric measuring means;
• and
• control means for controlling at least one of said substrate stage and said mask stage on the basis of a corrected value, corresponding to a measured value of said laser interferometric measuring means as corrected by the Abbe error, and for scanning said substrate stage and said mask stage relative to the projection optical system.

An exposure method for transferring a pattern of a mask onto a substrate to be exposed, with projection through a projection optical system, said method comprising the steps of:

• moving the substrate by a substrate stage;
• measuring a position of the stage through a laser interferometer, wherein a measurement position of a laser beam of the laser interferometer deviates relative to a focal plane of the projection optical system, with respect to a direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system;
• memorizing, with respect to each of different positions of the stage, information related to an Abbe error produced in accordance the deviation of the focal plane and the measurement position of the laser interferometer;
• and
• controlling the stage on the basis of a corrected value corresponding to a measured value of the laser interferometer as corrected by the Abbe error.

A scanning exposure method for transferring a pattern of a mask onto a substrate to be exposed, with projection through a projection optical system, said method comprising the steps of:

• moving the substrate by a substrate stage;
• moving the mask by a mask stage;
• measuring a position of the substrate stage and a position of the mask stage through a laser interferometric measuring device;
• memorizing, with respect to each of different positions of the substrate stage and of the mask stage, information related to an Abbe error produced in accordance with a deviation of an exposure position of the projection optical system and a measurement point, for the substrate stage, of the laser interferometric measuring device;
• and
• controlling at least one of the substrate stage and the mask stage on the basis of a corrected value, corresponding to a measured value of the laser interferometric measuring device as corrected by the Abbe error, and scanning the substrate stage and the mask stage relative to the projection optical system.