Patent ID: 7978308

Claim:
A lithographic apparatus arranged to transfer a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate, wherein the apparatus comprises: a support configured to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to provide a pattern to be transferred onto a substrate; a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate; a first clamping system configured to clamp the substrate table to a substrate table support structure; and a second clamping system configured to clamp a substrate to the substrate table after the substrate table has been clamped to the substrate table support structure, wherein the first clamping system is configured to release the substrate table without having a substrate clamped thereon, from the substrate table support structure but the substrate table remains supported by, but not displaced from, the substrate table support structure until a further clamping by the first clamping system of the supported substrate table without having a substrate clamped thereon, to the substrate table support structure so as to release a stress from the substrate table, the substrate table support structure, or both, arising as or while the substrate table is clamped to the substrate table support structure.