PURPOSE: To enhance throughput of exposure by performing the exposure at the peripheral part such that the beam moves along the periphery of a wafer before or after exposure of a chip thereby shortening the time required for moving a stage over a region requiring no exposure when the chip part and the peripheral exposing part are subjected to continuous moving exposure thus shortening the exposing time.

CONSTITUTION: Before or after exposure of a chip 2 formed on a sample wafer 1, the peripheral part 3 of the sample wafer 1 is shifted directly under a beam by means of an XY stage. The stage is then shifted continuously such that the beam moves along the periphery of the sample wafer 1 thus exposing the peripheral part 3 of the sample wafer 1. Furthermore, the deflecting direction of the beam is set substantially normal to the shifting direction of the stage when the peripheral part is exposed. Since the stage is shifted over a region requiring no exposure only at the time of transition of exposure between the chip part 2 and the peripheral part 3, useless time is substantially eliminated.