Patent ID: 7119876

Claim:
A lithographic projection apparatus, comprising: a substrate table configured to hold a substrate; a projection system configured to project a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate; a liquid confinement structure configured to confine a liquid in a space between the projection system and the substrate, the substrate, the substrate table, or both, configured to form a part of a boundary of the space; and a closing plate configured to form a part of a boundary of the space in place of the substrate, the substrate table, or both, when moved without substantially disturbing the liquid, the liquid confinement structure, or both, wherein (i) the substrate table comprises an active compensator configured to compensate for a change in load on the substrate table in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the substrate table due to the replacement of the substrate, the substrate table, or both, with the closing plate as a part of the boundary of the space, or (ii) the closing plate comprises an active compensator configured to compensate for a change in load on the liquid confinement structure in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the substrate table due to replacement of the closing plate with the substrate, the substrate table, or both, as a part of the boundary of the space, or (iii) both (i) and (ii).