Patent ID: 7648819

Claim:
A method for exposing a photoresist layer on a top surface of a wafer to light, comprising: (a) placing a less than whole portion of a top surface of said photoresist layer in contact with an immersion liquid and forming regions of exposed and unexposed photoresist in a corresponding less than whole portion of said photoresist layer; after (a), (b) removing any immersion liquid remaining on said less than whole top surface of said less than whole portion of said photoresist layer; after (b), (c) rinsing said less than whole portion of said top surface of said photoresist layer with an inert gas or said inert gas and a solvent vapor mixture; after (c), (d) cleaning said less than whole portion of said top surface of said photoresist layer with a cleaning fluid; after (d), (e) removing said cleaning fluid; after (e), (f) rinsing said less than whole portion of said top surface of said photoresist layer with an additional inert gas or said additional inert gas and an additional solvent vapor mixture; and wherein different steps of steps (a) through (f) are performed on different less than whole portions of said top surface of said photoresist simultaneously and while said wafer is on a single wafer chuck.