Scanning exposure method and apparatus therefor and a projection exposure apparatus and method which selectively chooses between static exposure and scanning exposure

A projection exposure apparatus which exposes a pattern image of a mask on each of a plurality of shot regions disposed on a photosensitive substrate, said apparatus comprising:

• an illumination optical system which illuminates the mask with transfer patterns formed thereon with an exposure illumination light;
• a mask stage which holds said mask;
• a projection optical system which projects the pattern image of said mask onto a photosensitive substrate under said illumination light;
• a substrate stage which two-dimensionally steps said photosensitive substrate within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of said projection optical system;
• a stage controller which relatively scans said mask stage and said substrate stage in synchronization with respect to said projection optical system;
• an illumination state controller which switches an illumination state of said illumination light for said mask with a non-illumination state thereof;
• an exposure controller which continuously or periodically irradiates said mask with said illumination light through said illumination state controller in a state where said mask and said photosensitive substrate are scanned in synchronization through said stage controller in a scan-exposure mode, and which irradiates said mask with a predetermined quantity of an integrated exposure light of said illumination light through said illumination state controller in a state where said mask and said photosensitive substrate stand still in a static-exposure mode;
• and
• an exposure mode selector which determines which one of said scan-exposure and static-exposure modes, is to be used for effecting an exposure of each of said plurality of shot regions on said photosensitive substrate by using information on at least one of a layout of the plurality of shot regions on said photosensitive substrate, a required quantity of integrated exposure light on said photosensitive substrate, a form of said shot regions, a degree of resolution required for exposing the pattern image of said mask, and a permissible distortion, so as to instruct the determined exposure mode to said exposure controller.

A projection exposure apparatus which exposes mask patterns on a photosensitive substrate by a scan-exposure method, comprising:

• a projection optical system which projects the mask patterns on an exposure region of said photosensitive substrate, said patterns being formed within a transfer region on said mask;
• a mask stage which one-dimensionally moves said mask over a range equal to or larger than a one-directional width dimension of said mask transfer region in a state where said mask is held substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of said projection optical system;
• a substrate stage which one-dimensionally moves said photosensitive substrate at a velocity synchronized with a moving velocity of the one-dimensional movement of said mask stage;
• an illumination system which illuminates said mask transfer region with an exposure illumination light from a light source through an aperture of a variable field stop disposed in a position substantially conjugate with said mask and a shutter disposed between the light source and the variable field stop;
• a first driving device which configures said aperture of said variable field stop in a rectangular shape having edges substantially orthogonal to a direction of said scan-exposure and, simultaneously, makes variable a width of said rectangular shape in said direction of the scan-exposure;
• a second driving device connected with said shutter;
• and
• a controller connected with said first and second driving devices to change the width of said rectangular aperture of said variable field stop in interlock with variations in a relative position of said variable field stop and said mask transfer region which varies due to the one-dimensional movement of said mask stage and to drive said shutter prior to the chance in width of said rectangular aperture.

A projection exposure apparatus which effects a scan-exposure of a circuit pattern of a mask on a photosensitive substrate by moving the mask and a substrate in synchronization along a first direction, the circuit pattern being formed within a predetermined rectangular range of the mask, said apparatus comprising:

• a mask stage which holds the mask and is capable of linear movement at least along said first direction;
• an illumination system which irradiates said mask with an illumination light limited to a predetermined two-dimensional configuration smaller than an area of the rectangular range of said mask;
• a projection optical system which projects a partial image of the circuit pattern of said mask irradiated with said illumination light;
• a substrate stage which holds the photosensitive substrate and is capable of linear movement at least along said first direction;
• an illumination configuration variable device which makes variable a dimension of said two-dimensional configuration of said illumination light regarding said first direction in interlock with the movement of said mask stage during a period for which the illumination light from said illumination system irradiates respective edges of the rectangular range of said mask regarding said first direction at the time of said scan exposure;
• and
• a shutter disposed on an illumination system side of said illumination configuration variable device, said shutter being driven so that said illumination light enters said illumination configuration variable device prior to an operation of said illumination configuration variable device.

A projection exposure apparatus which effects a scan-exposure of a circuit pattern of a mask on a photosensitive substrate by moving the mask and a substrate in synchronization along a first direction, the circuit pattern being formed within a predetermined rectangular range of the mask, said apparatus comprising:

• a mask stage which holds the mask and is capable of linear movement at least along the first direction;
• an illumination system which irradiates said mask with an illumination light limited to a predetermined two-dimensional configuration smaller than an area of the rectangular range of said mask;
• a projection optical system which projects a partial image of the circuit pattern of said mask irradiated with said illumination light;
• a substrate stage which holds said photosensitive substrate and is capable of linear movement at least along said first direction;
• an illumination configuration changing device which changes a dimension of a two-dimensional configuration of said illumination light regarding said first direction so as to be different in a period for which the illumination light from said illumination system irradiates respective edges of the rectangular range of said mask regarding said first direction and in a period for which said illumination light irradiates a region inside of the rectangular range of said mask;
• and
• a shutter disposed on an entrance side of said illumination configuration changing device, said shutter being driven so that said illumination light enters said illumination configuration changing device prior to an operation of said illumination configuration changing device.

An apparatus which effects a scan-exposure of a whole image of a circuit pattern of a mask on a photosensitive substrate by moving the mask and a substrate in synchronization along a first direction, said apparatus comprising:

• a mask stage which moves the mask, on an object side of a projection optical system having a circular view field, at least along said first direction with respect to said circular view field;
• a substrate stage which moves the photosensitive substrate exposed with an image of the circuit pattern of said mask projected by said projection optical system, at least along said first direction;
• and
• an illumination system which irradiates said mask with an illumination light having a substantially rectangular or slit-like intensity distribution extending in a second direction crossing said first direction and set to include a center of the circular view field on the object side of said projection optical system at a time of said scan-exposure,
• said illumination system having a stop device to adjust a width of the intensity distribution in said second direction in accordance with a size of said circuit pattern.

An apparatus comprising:

• an illumination system which irradiates a circuit pattern formed on a mask with an illumination light;
• a projection optical system which projects an image of the circuit pattern of said mask onto one of a plurality of exposure regions on a photosensitive substrate;
• a mask stage which holds said mask and is capable of one-dimensional movement at least along a first direction;
• and
• a substrate stage which holds said photosensitive substrate and is capable of two-dimensional movement, along said first direction and along a second direction orthogonal to said first direction,
• a controller which controls a type of exposure of said circuit pattern for each exposed region on said photosensitive substrate by selecting whether said exposure is to be executed by a step-and-repeat method in which the substrate stage is moved stepwise while said mask stage stands still, or by a step-and-scan method in which said substrate stage is moved stepwise while said mask stage and said substrate stage are relatively scanned along said first direction at the same time with respect to a projection view field of said projection optical system.