To provide an exposure method using reticles by which the transfer of clear and opaque defects can be prevented and the verticality in cross-section of a pattern can be secured.

When double exposure is performed by using reticles 11 and 13, the electron intensities of the double exposure are added to each other and the sum becomes the electron intensity distribution curve C shown in the graph. A resist image has a threshold in its developing conduction. When the double exposure is performed by adjusting the electron intensity of each exposure to 0.5 (total intensity/number of reticles = 1/2) under a condition where the total intensity of the double exposure is '1' and the threshold is '0.7', the obtained resist image becomes the same reticle image 14 as that obtained by using defectless reticles.