PURPOSE: To make the automatic positioning of a wafer and a photomask possible in projection exposure using a reflection optical system with respect to the photomask for exposure and transfer to be used during a photoetching stage in the production stage of semiconductor devices.

CONSTITUTION: Target groups 1, 1' for automatic positioning of a photomask 2 for exposure and transfer and a semiconductor substrate 3 are disposed laterally symmetrically, and respectively and, a pair of target groups 1, 1', 2, 2' to be used for one time of exposure and transfer are disposed laterally symmetrically. Since the right and left targets of the wafer 3 and the mask 2 can be easily exposed in a slit region 4 only by the operation in X-, Y direction, the automatic positioning is facilitated and the reproducibility of the automatic positioning is markely improved. Thus productivity and the accuracy of positioning are improved.