PATTERN FORMING APPARATUS, MARK DETECTING APPARATUS, EXPOSURE APPARATUS, PATTERN FORMING METHOD, EXPOSURE METHOD AND DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD

摘要

The plane position information of the front plane of a wafer (W) is detected at a plurality of detecting points set at prescribed intervals in an X axis direction by multiple point AF systems (90a, 90b), while a wafer stage (WST) is linearly shifting in a Y axis direction. Marks at different positions on the wafer (W) are detected by a plurality of alignment systems (AL1, AL2₁-AL2₄) arranged in a line along the X axis direction. Namely, the detection of the plane position information of the wafer front plane at the detection points and the detection of the marks at different positions on the wafer are completed by simply having the wafer stage (wafer) linearly pass through the arrangement of the detecting points of the multiple point AF systems and the alignment systems. Therefore, the throughput is improved compared with a case where the mark detecting operation and the detecting operation of the plane position information (focus information) are performed without relating them.