Patent ID: 8421993

Claim:
A fluid handling structure for a lithographic apparatus, the fluid handling structure comprising a surface in which a plurality of fluid extraction openings are defined, wherein the fluid extraction openings: are directed towards a facing surface, when the facing surface is provided, the facing surface comprising a surface of a substrate and/or a substrate table configured to support a substrate, are configured to define a meniscus of an immersion liquid in an immersion space, when the immersion liquid in the immersion space is provided, the meniscus is defined by removing a mixture of (i) immersion liquid from the immersion space and (ii) gas from an atmosphere outside the immersion liquid, the meniscus defined between the facing surface and the surface in which the openings are defined, and each has an area less than or equal to 0.1 mm 2 ; and have a distance between geometric centers of neighboring fluid extraction openings selected from the range of 0.4 mm to 2 mm.