Projecting apparatus

Claim 2

A projecting apparatus comprising: (a) projector means for forming an image of a projecting member with a pattern on an object of projection, said projector means including a unit magnification reflection optical system having a concave spherical mirror and a convex spherical mirror for projecting the image along an optical axis thereof; (b) means for measuring a selected one of the distance from said projector means to said projecting member and the distance from said projector means to a holder means for holding said projecting member, said measuring means also measuring the distance from said projector means to said object of projection; (c) means for computing the error of an image-forming position on the basis of the distance measurements taken by said measuring means; and (d) moving means for moving along the direction of the optical axis of said projector means at least one of said projecting member, said object of projection and said projector means so as to eliminate the error of the image-forming position computed by said computing means and thereby attain an automatic focus adjustment.

Claim 3

A projecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said projector means includes a frame carrying said reflection optical system, said measuring means being mounted on the frame.

Claim 4

A projecting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising carriage means slidably supported for movement on a stone stool in at least one direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of said moving means, and a holder means for holding said object of projection, said holder means for holding the projecting member and said holder means for holding said object of projection being mounted on said carriage means.

Claim 5

A projecting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising parallel positioning means for positioning the projection surface of said projecting member in parallel to the image-forming surface of said projector means, said moving means being constructed to drive said projecting member-holding means in the direction of the optical axis of said projector means with respect to said carriage means.

Claim 6

A projecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means for measuring the distance from said object of projection to said projector means includes at least three sensors arranged along an exposure area in the form of an arcuate band formed on said object of projection.

Claim 7

A projecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said sensors are air micrometers.

Claim 8

A projecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means for measuring the distance from said projecting means to said projector member measures the distance from the upper side of said holder means for holding said projecting member to said projector means.

Claim 9

A projecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said projecting member with a pattern is a mask with a circuit pattern thereon, and said object of projection is a wafer arranged for having the image of the circuit pattern projected thereon.

Claim 10

A projecting apparatus comprising: projector means for forming an image of a projecting member having a pattern on an object of projection, said projector means including a unit magnification image-forming system having a concave spherical mirror and a convex spherical mirror for projecting the image along an optical axis thereof; carriage means for mounting a first holding means for holding said projecting member and a second holding means for holding said object of projection, said carriage means being slidably supported on a stool for movement at least unidirectionally along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the optical axis of said projector means; measuring means for measuring a selected one of the distance from said projector means to said projecting member and the distance from said projector means to said first holding means, said measuring means also measuring the distance from said projector means to said object of projection; computing means for computing the error of an image-forming position on the basis of the distance measurements of said measuring means; and moving means for moving the object of projection held by said second holding means with respect to said carriage means along the direction of the optical axis of said projector means so as to eliminate the error of the image-forming position computed by said computing means and thereby attain an automatic focus adjustment.

Claim 11

A projecting apparatus comprising: projector means for forming an image of a projecting member having a pattern on an object of projection, said projector means including a unit magnification image-forming system having a concave spherical mirror and a convex spherical mirror for projecting the image along an optical axis thereof; carriage means for mounting a first holding means for holding said projecting member and a second holding means for holding said object of projection, said carriage means being slidably supported on a stool for movement at least unidirectionally along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the optical axis of said projector means; measuring means for measuring a selected one of the distance from said projector means to said projecting member and the distance from said projector means to said first holding means, said measuring means also measuring the distance from said projector means to said object of projection; computing means for computing the error of an image-forming position on the basis of the distance measurements of said measuring means; and moving means for moving the object of projection held by said second holding means with respect to said carriage means along the direction of the optical axis of said projector means so as to eliminate the error of the image-forming position computed by said computing means and thereby attain an automatic focus adjustment.

Claim 12

A projecting apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a frame mounting said unit magnification image-forming system, said measuring means being mounted on said frame.

Claim 13

A projecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said second holding means comprises parallel positioning means for positioning the projection surface of said object of projection in parallel to the image-forming surface formed by said projector means.

Claim 14

A projecting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said measuring means for measuring the distance from said object of projection to said projector means includes at least three sensors arranged along an exposure area in the form of an arcuate band formed on said object of projection.

Claim 15

A projecting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said sensors comprise air micrometers.

Claim 16

A projecting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said second holding means is provided with a table arranged for rotation and incremently movable in orthogonal directions, microscope means for detecting target marks formed by said projecting member and said object of projection, and means for moving said table to effect alignment in accordance with the detected aberrations of the target marks.

Claim 17

A projecting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said second holding means is provided with a table arranged for rotation and incremently movable in orthogonal directions, microscope means for detecting target marks formed by said projecting member and said object of projection, and means for moving said table to effect alignment in accordance with the detected aberrations of the target marks.

Claim 18

A projecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said projecting member having a pattern is a mask with a circuit pattern thereon, and said object of projection is a wafer arranged for having the image of said circuit pattern projected thereon.