A method is provided for transferring a mask pattern on a mask onto each of a plurality of shot areas on a substrate by synchronously moving the mask and the substrate with respect to an exposing radiation flux. The method includes the steps of optimizing run-up distances of the mask and the substrate with respect to each of the plurality of shot areas, determining respective acceleration starting positions for the mask and the substrate for the shot area to be exposed in accordance with the corresponding run-up distances optimized in the step of optimizing, and accelerating the mask and the substrate from the respective acceleration starting positions to respective scanning speeds. The method further includes the steps of maintaining the respective scanning speeds of the mask and the substrate to synchronously move the mask and the photosensitive substrate, and directing the exposing radiation flux towards the mask to project the image of the mask pattern onto the shot area when the mask and the substrate complete respective run-up distances in the step of maintaining.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/006,197 filed on Jan. 13, 1998 now abandoned.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Applications No. 09-004495, filed in Japan on Jan. 14, 1997, and No. 09-083244, filed in Japan on Mar. 17, 1997, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Priority Data
Jan 14, 1997 [JP] 9-004495 Mar 17, 1997 [JP] 9-083244
An apparatus for forming a pattern has a scanning-time setter, a time-error detector, a scanning-time corrector, a pulse data selector, and a control pulse signal generator. The scanning-time setter sets a "fine-section scanning-time" as a pass-time of the beam for each section of a series of fine sections. The time-error detector successively detects a time-error between the set fine-section scanning-time and an actually detected fine-section scanning-time for each fine section. The scanning-time corrector successively corrects the set fine-section scanning-time for each fine section on the basis of the time-error to successively generate a corrected fine-section scanning-time. The pulse data selector successively selects a set of pulse data, corresponding to the corrected fine-section scanning-time, from a series of sets of pulse data. The control-pulse signal generator successively generates a sequence of control-pulse signals in accordance with a selected set of pulse data.
