Patent ID: 7345737

Claim:
An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to light via a pattern of a reticle, said apparatus comprising: a first substrate stage configured to hold a substrate chuck and the substrate on the substrate chuck and to move in a measurement area; a measurement unit arranged in the measurement area and configured to perform alignment measurement and focus measurement for the held substrate to obtain information for positioning the substrate in an exposure area; a second substrate stage configured to hold the substrate chuck and the measured substrate on the substrate chuck, to move in the exposure area, and to position the measured substrate based on the obtained information; a projection optical system arranged in the exposure area and configured to project the pattern onto the positioned substrate while a gap between said projection optical system and the positioned substrate is filled with liquid; a conveyance unit configured to convey the substrate chuck and the measured substrate from said first substrate stage to said second substrate stage; a supply unit arranged in an area located between the measurement area and the exposure area and configured to supply the liquid on the measured substrate; and a recovery unit arranged in a recovery area to which the substrate is conveyed from the exposure area and configured to recover the liquid from the substrate onto which the pattern is projected in the exposure area, wherein said conveyance unit and said supply unit are configured to be controlled so that said supply unit supplies the liquid on the measured substrate during the conveyance by said conveyance unit of the substrate chuck and the measured substrate from said first substrate stage to said second substrate stage.