Patent ID: 7817244
Filing Date: 2010-10-19
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
1. A liquid immersion exposure method for exposing a substrate by projecting an image of a pattern onto the substrate through a projection optical system and a liquid, comprising: determining a surface information about a surface of the substrate by receiving a detecting beam from the surface of the substrate without passing the detecting beam through the liquid so as to perform a measurement; determining a relationship between the surface information about the surface of the substrate and an information of an image plane of the projection optical system formed through the liquid; supplying the liquid onto the substrate; and performing liquid immersion exposure for the substrate while adjusting a positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and the image plane formed through the liquid on the basis of the determined relationship between the surface information about the surface of the substrate and the information of the image plane of the projection optical system formed through the liquid without detecting the surface information about the surface of the substrate while the substrate is exposed.