Projection exposure apparatus and projection exposure method

摘要

A projection exposure apparatus has an illumination optical system for directing exposure light to an illumination area with a predetermined shape on a mask with a pattern for transfer; a projection optical system for projecting an image of the pattern within the illumination area of the mask to a photosensitive substrate; a mask stage for scanning the mask in a predetermined scan direction with respect to the illumination area; and a substrate stage for scanning the photosensitive substrate in a direction corresponding to the scan direction in synchronism with the scanning of the mask. The relative positions of an image plane of the projection optical system and an exposure surface of the photosensitive substrate are changeable in the direction of the axis of the projection optical system and changed in a predetermined cycle when performing the scanning while projecting the image of the pattern of the mask to the photosensitive substrate.