ILLUMINATING OPTICAL DEVICE, ALIGNER, AND EXPOSURE METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an illuminating optical device which can provide illumination conditions which are highly diverse regarding proper illumination conditions such as a secondary light source shape, light intensity and polarization state required for transferring a mask pattern with various characteristics truly when mounted on an aligner. SOLUTION: The illuminating optical device illuminates an irradiation surface by optical flux from a light source (1). It has an illuminating pupil formation means (20 to 26, 6) for forming illuminating pupil distribution with light intensity distribution located in a first region, and light intensity distribution located in a second region on an illuminating pupil surface; and illuminating pupil control means (17, 23 and 24) for carrying out control for changing the shape of the first region and the shape of the second region independently from each other, and control for changing the polarization state of optical flux passing through the first region and the polarization state of optical flux passing through the second region independently from each other. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI