Pattern exposure method and pattern exposure apparatus

Abstract

A pattern exposure method and a pattern exposure apparatus in which the throughput is improved with an inexpensive apparatus and without a low running cost. Output faces of a plurality of laser beams emitted from a plurality of semiconductor lasers respectively are arranged in two directions. One of the directions is the same direction as the scanning direction of a polygon mirror while the other is a direction crossing the scanning direction of the polygon mirror. In this event, the array pitch of the output faces arranged in the direction crossing the scanning direction of the polygon mirror is made equal to resolution of an exposure pattern. In this event, the wavelength of each laser may be made not longer than 410 nm.

1 . A pattern exposure method comprising:
 moving a plurality of outgoing beams emitted from light sources relative to a workpiece, so as to expose said workpiece to said outgoing beams to thereby draw a pattern on said workpiece;   wherein a desired to-be-exposed place is exposed to said outgoing beams different from each other a plurality of times.   
     
     
         2 . A pattern exposure method according to  claim 1 , wherein the number of said times of exposure is not smaller than 4. 
     
     
         3 . A pattern exposure method according to  claim 1 , wherein said light sources are semiconductor lasers. 
     
     
         4 . A pattern exposure method according to  claim 3 , wherein said semiconductor lasers are provided corresponding to said light sources respectively. 
     
     
         5 . A pattern exposure method according to  claim 4 , wherein said plurality of semiconductor lasers are arranged in a regular two-dimensional array, and a plurality of said outgoing beams emitted from said semiconductor lasers are formed into collimated beams parallel to one another; and
 said collimated beams are thereafter reduced with respect to a scanning direction, and imaged in said to-be-exposed place.   
     
     
         6 . A pattern exposure method according to  claim 5 , wherein said collimated beams are reduced in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to said scanning direction without changing beam diameters thereof, and imaged in said to-be-exposed place. 
     
     
         7 . A pattern exposure method according to  claim 6 , wherein said sub-scanning direction is set in a direction where each of said outgoing beams has a large spread angle. 
     
     
         8 . A pattern exposure method according to  claim 6 , wherein there is a relationship of:
   rLDP<rBD   
       between a reduction ratio rLDP of a beam array pitch in said to-be-exposed place to an array pitch of said semiconductor lasers with respect to said scanning direction and a reduction ratio rBD of a beam array pitch in said to-be-exposed place to an array pitch of said semiconductor lasers with respect to said sub-scanning direction. 
     
     
         9 . A pattern exposure method according to  claim 8 , wherein said reduction ratio rLDP and said reduction ratio rBD are determined so that each of said collimated beams having a minor axis and a major axis different from each other is formed as an approximate circle in said to-be-exposed place. 
     
     
         10 . A pattern exposure method according to  claim 3 , wherein wavelengths of said semiconductor lasers are not longer than 410 nm. 
     
     
         11 . A pattern exposure apparatus comprising:
 light sources arrayed in biaxial directions perpendicular to each other; and   a polygon mirror;   wherein one of said directions in which said light sources are arrayed is aligned with a scanning direction of said polygon mirror; and   wherein a plurality of outgoing beams emitted from said light sources are moved relative to a workpiece so as to expose said workpiece to said outgoing beams to thereby draw a pattern on said workpiece.   
     
     
         12 . A pattern exposure apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein an array pitch of said light sources arrayed in a direction different from said scanning direction of said polygon mirror is equal to a resolution of said exposure pattern.C 
     
     
         13 . A pattern exposure apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein conjugation is established between an output face of each of said light sources or an output face of each of secondary light sources of said light sources and an exposure surface. 
     
     
         14 . A pattern exposure apparatus according to  claim 11 , further comprising a shutter unit which can block said outgoing beams. 
     
     
         15 . A pattern exposure apparatus according to  claim 11 , further comprising light guide fibers and light guide flat glasses, wherein said flat glasses are disposed in front of input faces and/or output faces of said fibers, and optical adhesive is charged between an end face of each of said fibers and each of said flat glasses. 
     
     
         16 . A pattern exposure apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein each of said flat glasses is a wedged flat glass whose two faces transmitting said outgoing beams are not parallel. 
     
     
         17 - 25 . (canceled)