METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EXPOSING PERIPHERAL PART OF SUBSTRATE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sustain the profile of alignment mark formed in a fringe region on a substrate by deciding whether exposure is required for a photosensitive layer covering the mark depending on the post-processing of substrate onto which a pattern is transferred thereby protecting the mark in the post-processing system. SOLUTION: A reference mark 110 is formed in lattice in the longitudinal direction of laser illumination spot 504 projected from a laser alignment optical system and the mark 110 is put in the periphery of a region for forming a circuit pattern. An input unit at main control section 400 decides whether the reference mark 110 is exposed or not and controls a shutter 610 through a driver 612 based on the exposure control information stored in a peripheral exposure control section 618 and memory section 620. More specifically, a wafer W is coated with positive resist and the reference mark 110 is not exposed when it is better to leave the resist on the reference mark 110.