Method of adjusting reduction projection exposure device

A method of adjusting a reduction projection exposure device having a light source, an illumination optical system for causing light emitted from the light source to have a uniform light intensity distribution, and a reduction image-forming optical system for irradiating a mask pattern of a photomask on a photoresist film of a wafer by the light passing through the illumination optical system to obtain a transfer pattern, comprising:

• the test exposure step of transferring identical transfer patterns at a plurality of positions on the photoresist film in one exposure field by using a test mask having a plurality of identical mask patterns on a mask surface;
• the variation calculation step of calculating a dimensional variation in an identical transfer pattern in said one exposure field and a variation in exposure dose latitude in said one exposure field;
• the first determination step of determining that the illumination optical system and the reduction image-forming optical system need not be adjusted when the dimensional variation in said identical transfer pattern in said one exposure field is smaller than a first predetermined percent;
• the second determination step of determining that the illumination optical system includes a σ-error to be adjusted when the dimensional variation in said identical transfer pattern in said one exposure field is not smaller than the first predetermined percent and when the variation in said exposure dose latitude is smaller than a second predetermined percent;
• and
• the third determination step of determining that the reduction image-forming optical system includes a lens aberration to be adjusted when the dimensional variation in said identical transfer pattern in said one exposure field is not smaller than the first predetermined percent and when the variation in said exposure dose latitude is not smaller than the second predetermined percent.