Exposure apparatus

Claim 2

In an exposure apparatus for exposing a peripheral portion of a resist-coated surface of a substantially circular substrate in a plane, the improvement comprising: means for holding said substrate on said plane; means for rotating said substrate held by said holding means in said plane; means for projecting a light beam of a characteristic which sensitizes said resist onto the peripheral portion of the surface of said substrate in a manner that a peripheral edge of said substrate is brought into an exposure area of said light beam during said rotation; means for detecting a relative positional relation between said light beam and said substrate peripheral edge in a radial direction of said substrate; means for moving said projecting means in the radial direction of said substrate; and means responsive to an output of said detecting means to dynamically control said moving means in a manner that said light beam illuminates the peripheral portion of said substrate over a predetermined substantially constant extent in the radial direction thereof during the rotation of said substrate by said rotation means.

Claim 3

An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising aperture means mounted to said projecting means for limiting in said exposure area the size of spot formed by said light beam projected from said projecting means.

Claim 4

An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said aperture means includes two sector openings each thereof being defined by a pair of large and small circulare arcs which are substantially concentric with the center of rotation of said substrate and a pair of straight lines which are extended along two different radial directions from the center of rotation and apart from each other by a certain angle.

Claim 5

An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means includes photoelectric conversion means for receiving a spot of said light beam partly interrupted by the peripheral portion of said substrate to generate an electric signal.

Claim 6

An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said moving means includes a moving support carrying thereon said projecting means and said detecting means as a unit.

Claim 7

An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said projecting means comprises a light emitter mounted on said moving means, a light source arranged at a position apart from said light emitter, and light transmitting means for directing an exposure light produced from said light source to said light emitter.

Claim 8

In an exposure apparatus for exposing a peripheral portion of a resist-coated surface of a substantially circular substrate in a plane, the improvement comprising: means for holding said substrate on said plane; means for rotating said substrate held by said holding means in said plane; means for projecting a light beam of a characteristic which sensitizes said resist onto the peripheral portion of the surface of said substrate in a manner that a peripheral edge of said substrate is brought into an exposure area of said light beam during said rotation; means for detecting a relative positional relation between said light beam and said substrate peripheral edge in a radial direction of said substrate; means for moving said projecting means in said radial direction of said substrate; means responsive to an output of said detecting means to dynamically control said moving means in a manner that said light beam illuminates the peripheral portion of said substrate over a predetermined substantially constant extent in the radial direction of said substrate during the rotation of said substrate by said rotating means; means for controlling a rotational speed of said rotating means; exposure condition control means for controlling an integrated exposure light insentity and/or size of a spot formed on the peripheral portion of said substrate by said light beam; and peripheral edge exposure control means for controlling said exposure condition control means and/or said rotational speed control means in a manner that the quantity of exposure light applied to said substrate peripheral portion by said spot attains a predetermined proper exposure light quantity.

Claim 9

In an exposure apparatus for exposing a peripheral portion of a resist-coated surface of a substantially circular substrate in a plane, the improvement comprising: means for holding said substrate on said plane; means for rotating said substrate held by said holding means in said plane; means for projecting a light beam of a characteristic which sensitizes said resist onto the peripheral portion of the surface of said substrate in a manner that a peripheral edge of said substrate is brought into an exposure area of said light beam during said rotation; means for detecting a relative positional relation between said light beam and said substrate peripheral edge in a radial direction of said substrate; means for moving said projecting means in said radial direction of said substrate; means responsive to an output of said detecting means to dynamically control said moving means in a manner that said light beam illuminates the peripheral portion of said substrate over a predetermined substantially constant extent in the radial direction of said substrate during the rotation of said substrate by said rotating means; means for controlling a rotational speed of said rotating means; exposure condition control means for controlling an integrated exposure light insentity and/or size of a spot formed on the peripheral portion of said substrate by said light beam; and peripheral edge exposure control means for controlling said exposure condition control means and/or said rotational speed control means in a manner that the quantity of exposure light applied to said substrate peripheral portion by said spot attains a predetermined proper exposure light quantity.

Claim 10

An exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said exposure condition control means includes variable aperture means for variably limiting the size in said substrate circumferential direction of said spot formed on said exposure area by said light beam projected from said projecting means, said variable aperture means being mounted to said projecting means.

Claim 11

An exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said variable aperture means comprises a pair of sector openings each thereof being defined by a pair of large and small circular arcs which are substantially concentric with the center of rotation of said substrate and a pair of straight lines which are extended along two different radial directions from the center of rotation and apart from each other by a certain angle, said angle being variable.

Claim 12

An exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said projecting means comprises a light emitter mounted on said moving means, a light source arranged at a position apart from said light emitter, and light transmitting means for directing an exposure light produced from said light source to said light emitter.

Claim 13

An exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the intensity or duration time of the light produced by said light source is controlled by said peripheral edge exposure control means.

Claim 14

In an exposure apparatus for exposing a peripheral portion of a resist-coated surface of a substantially circular substrate in a plane, the improvement comprising: turntable means for holding said substrate on said plane; driving means for rotating said turntable means; means for projecting a light beam of a characteristic which sensitizes said resist onto the peripheral portion of said substrate in a manner that a peripheral edge of said substrate is brought into an exposure area of said light beam during said rotation; photoelectric conversion means for receiving said light beam at a position opposing said projecting means through the intermediary of said substrate peripheral edge to detect a relative positional relation of said substrate peripheral edge with said light beam; means for moving said projecting means in a radial direction of said substrate; servo control means responsive to an output of said photoelectric conversion means to subject said moving means to positional servo control in a manner that said light beam illuminates the peripheral portion of said substrate over a predetermined substantially constant extent in the radial direction of said substrate during the rotation of said substrate by said turntable means; means for feedback controlling a rotational speed of said driving means; Variable aperture control means for variably controlling the size in said substrate circumferential direction of a spot formed on the peripheral portion of said substrate by said light beam; and peripheral edge exposure control means for controlling said variable aperture control means and said rotational speed control means in a manner that an exposure light quantity applied to said substrate peripheral portion by said spot attains a predetermined proper exposure light quantity.

Claim 15

In an exposure apparatus for exposing a peripheral portion of a resist-coated surface of a substantially circular substrate in a plane, the improvement comprising: turntable means for holding said substrate on said plane; driving means for rotating said turntable means; means for projecting a light beam of a characteristic which sensitizes said resist onto the peripheral portion of said substrate in a manner that a peripheral edge of said substrate is brought into an exposure area of said light beam during said rotation; photoelectric conversion means for receiving said light beam at a position opposing said projecting means through the intermediary of said substrate peripheral edge to detect a relative positional relation of said substrate peripheral edge with said light beam; means for moving said projecting means in a radial direction of said substrate; servo control means responsive to an output of said photoelectric conversion means to subject said moving means to positional servo control in a manner that said light beam illuminates the peripheral portion of said substrate over a predetermined substantially constant extent in the radial direction of said substrate during the rotation of said substrate by said turntable means; means for feedback controlling a rotational speed of said driving means; Variable aperture control means for variably controlling the size in said substrate circumferential direction of a spot formed on the peripheral portion of said substrate by said light beam; and peripheral edge exposure control means for controlling said variable aperture control means and said rotational speed control means in a manner that an exposure light quantity applied to said substrate peripheral portion by said spot attains a predetermined proper exposure light quantity.

Claim 16

An exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said moving means comprises a moving support carrying thereon said projecting means and said photoelectric conversion means in a unit.

Claim 17

An exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said projecting means comprises a light emitter mounted on said moving means, a light source arranged at a position apart from said light emitter, and light transmitting means for directing an exposure light produced from said light source to said light emitter.

Claim 18

An exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said variable aperture means includes a pair of sector openings each thereof being defined by a pair of large and small circular arcs which are substantially concentric with the center of rotation of said substrate and a pair of straight lines which are extended along two different radial directions from the center of rotation and apart from each other by a certain angle, and wherein said angle is variable.