Projection exposure apparatus

Claim 2

A projection exposure apparatus comprising: an illumination system for illuminating a pattern formed on a mask, said illumination system having a variable optical member for variably setting a size of a light beam passing through a plane having a Fourier transform relationship with a pattern surface of said mask and a stop member for shielding or reducing the light beam in a central portion thereof in order that distribution of light intensity of said light beam on or near the plane having the Fourier transform relationship is such that light intensity is higher in a peripheral portion of the light beam than in the central portion, and a projection optical system for projecting an image of the pattern of said mask on a photosensitive substrate.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said illumination system has an optical integrator for making uniform an illuminance distribution of the light beam on said mask, and said variable optical member is constituted by a variable optical system for variably setting a diameter of the light beam incident on said optical integrator.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said stop member is arranged to variably change a size of a light-shielding or light-reducing portion near the central portion of the light beam, and further comprising changing means for changing the size of the light-shielding or light-reducing portion in synchronism with a change in beam diameter by said variable optical member.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said stop member has a plurality light-shielding portions or light-reducing portions having different sizes, and said changing means comprises a drive mechanism, interlocked with said stop member, for alternately locating said plurality of light-shielding or light-reducing portions on or near the Fourier transform plane.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said optical integrator is a fly-eye type integrator whose exit plane is disposed on or near said Fourier transform plane, and said stop member is disposed near the exit plane of said fly-eye type integrator.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said stop member is disposed on or near the Fourier transform plane.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a holding member for holding said stop member such that the stop member can be inserted in and retracted from an optical path of said light beam.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said holding member has a plurality of stop members with different sizes of light-shielding portions or light-reducing portions, and said plurality of stop members are alternately located on or near said Fourier transform plane.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: a drive member for driving at least one of said variable optical member and said holding member in order to change the light intensity distribution of said light beam on or near said Fourier transform plane, and a device for controlling said drive member in accordance with the pattern of said mask.

Claim 11

A projection exposure apparatus comprising: an illumination system for illuminating a pattern formed on a mask, said illumination system having a variable optical member for variably setting a size of a light beam passing through a plane having a Fourier transform relationship with a pattern surface of said mask and a variable stop member for partly shielding or reducing the light beam near a central position thereof in order that distribution of light intensity of said light beam on or near the plane having the Fourier transform relationship is such that light intensity is higher in a peripheral portion of the light beam than in the central portion; a projection optical system for projecting an image of the pattern of said mask on a photosensitive substrate; and an adjusting device for changing a light intensity distribution of the light beam on or near the Fourier transform plane by using at least one of said variable optical member and said variable stop member.

Claim 12

A projection exposure apparatus comprising: an illumination system for illuminating a pattern formed on a mask, said illumination system having a variable optical member for variably setting a size of a light beam passing through a plane having a Fourier transform relationship with a pattern surface of said mask and a variable stop member for partly shielding or reducing the light beam near a central position thereof in order that distribution of light intensity of said light beam on or near the plane having the Fourier transform relationship is such that light intensity is higher in a peripheral portion of the light beam than in the central portion; a projection optical system for projecting an image of the pattern of said mask on a photosensitive substrate; and an adjusting device for changing a light intensity distribution of the light beam on or near the Fourier transform plane by using at least one of said variable optical member and said variable stop member.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: a device for inputting information relating to the pattern of said mask; wherein said adjusting device sets the distribution of intensity of said light beam to an optimum distribution suitable for said mask in accordance with the inputted information.

Claim 14

An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said variable stop member has a plurality of light-shielding portions or light-reducing portions having different sizes, and said plurality of light-shielding or light-reducing portions are alternately located on or near the Fourier transform plane.

Claim 15

A projection exposure apparatus comprising: a light source; an illumination optical system upon which a light beam from said source is incident for illuminating a mask having a pattern to be transferred onto a photosensitive substrate, the illumination optical system including a fly-eye type optical integrator which forms a secondary light source on or near a plane having a Fourier transform relationship with a surface of the pattern of said mask; a variable power optical system disposed between said light source and said Fourier transform plane for changing the size of said secondary source; and an optical member for shielding or reducing light from a central portion of said secondary source in order that distribution of light intensity of the secondary source is such that light intensity is higher in a peripheral portion than in the central portion.

Claim 16

A projection exposure apparatus comprising: a light source; an illumination optical system upon which a light beam from said source is incident for illuminating a mask having a pattern to be transferred onto a photosensitive substrate, the illumination optical system including a fly-eye type optical integrator which forms a secondary light source on or near a plane having a Fourier transform relationship with a surface of the pattern of said mask; a variable power optical system disposed between said light source and said Fourier transform plane for changing the size of said secondary source; and an optical member for shielding or reducing light from a central portion of said secondary source in order that distribution of light intensity of the secondary source is such that light intensity is higher in a peripheral portion than in the central portion.

Claim 17

An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said variable power optical system includes a zoom optical system for changing the size of the light beam generated by said light source to be incident on said fly-eye type optical integrator.

Claim 18

An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said optical member includes a member holding a plurality of light-shielding or light reducing portions having different sizes, and one of said plurality of light-shielding or light-reducing portions is disposed on or near said Fourier transform plane.

Claim 19

An illumination optical apparatus for illuminating a mask having a pattern to be transferred onto a photosensitive substrate in such a way that distribution of light intensity of a light beam on or near a plane having a Fourier transform relationship with a pattern surface of said mask is such that light intensity is higher in a peripheral portion of the beam than in a central portion, comprising: a first member for variably setting a size of the light beam passing through said plane having the Fourier transform relationship; and a second member for shielding or reducing light of the central portion of said light beam.

Claim 20

An illumination optical apparatus for illuminating a mask having a pattern to be transferred onto a photosensitive substrate in such a way that distribution of light intensity of a light beam on or near a plane having a Fourier transform relationship with a pattern surface of said mask is such that light intensity is higher in a peripheral portion of the beam than in a central portion, comprising: a first member for variably setting a size of the light beam passing through said plane having the Fourier transform relationship; and a second member for shielding or reducing light of the central portion of said light beam.

Claim 21

An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said second member is disposed on or near the plane having the Fourier transform relationship.

Claim 22

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said second member comprises an aperture diaphragm with the size of a light-shielding portion or light-reducing portion being variable.

Claim 23

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said second member includes a member for holding a plurality of light-shielding portions or light-reducing portions having different sizes.