Patent ID: 7394522

Claim:
An exposure apparatus comprising: a movable substrate stage configured to hold the substrate; a projection optical system configured to project light from a reticle, and including a final optical element opposing the substrate; and a nozzle member including an opposing surface opposing the substrate, wherein the exposure apparatus exposes the substrate to light via the reticle, the projection optical system, and liquid filled in a gap between a final surface of the projection optical system and the substrate, wherein the opposing surface of the nozzle member includes: a supply port configured to supply the liquid into the gap, and provided substantially parallel to a plane orthogonal to an optical axis of the final optical element; a first recovery port configured to recover the liquid from the gap, and provided farther from the optical axis than the supply port; and a section provided between the supply port and the first recovery port, the section including a first portion substantially parallel to the plane orthogonal to the optical axis, and a second portion provided between the supply port and the first portion and including an inclined face, the inclined face being closer to the substrate as the inclined face is closer to the optical axis, and wherein a first distance between the first portion and the substrate is longer than a second distance between the supply port and the substrate.