Patent ID: 8721803

Claim:
A cleaning method for cleaning at least a part of an exposure apparatus with a cleaning liquid, the exposure apparatus exposing a substrate with an exposure light through an exposure liquid disposed in a space, the method comprising: supplying a liquid through a first passageway, the first passageway being connected to a second passageway which is arranged to receive the liquid from the first passageway and which is connected to a cleaning liquid generating apparatus and the first passageway being connected to a third passageway which is arranged to receive the liquid from the first passageway to supply the exposure liquid from a liquid supply port of the exposure apparatus, supplying the liquid to the cleaning liquid generating apparatus via the second passageway, generating the cleaning liquid at the cleaning liquid generating apparatus by dissolving into the liquid, a prescribed gas of an amount that is greater than a saturation concentration of the prescribed gas in the liquid in which the prescribed gas is dissolved to form a supersaturated state at a pressure in the space; feeding the cleaning liquid to the liquid supply port of the exposure apparatus from the cleaning liquid generating apparatus without flowing the cleaning liquid through an exposure liquid producing apparatus to clean the at least a part of the exposure apparatus; and adjusting a pressure applied to the cleaning liquid, by a pressure adjustment mechanism so that the supersaturated state of the cleaning liquid is able to generate bubbles of the prescribed gas in a vicinity of the liquid supply port that is downstream of the pressure adjusting mechanism.