Patent ID: 7630053

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a liquid immersion lithography apparatus in a lithography step in an element manufacturing step, comprising: in a period from the liquid immersion lithography step performed by the liquid immersion lithography apparatus to a step in which a film structure of an edge of at least a wafer changes from a timing of the liquid immersion lithography step, (A) inspecting at least one of a side surface of an edge of the wafer and an upper surface of the edge of the wafer, using an inspection mechanism; (B) determining, on the basis of an inspection result obtained in the (A), at least one of the presence/absence of film peeling and the presence/absence of particle adhesion on at least one of the side surface of the edge of the wafer and the upper surface of the edge of the wafer, using a determination mechanism; and (C) performing a predetermined coping process, using a coping process mechanism, when it is determined in the (B) that at least one of the film peeling and the particle adhesion has occurred, wherein the predetermined coping process includes a cleaning process in which a surface of a table cover plate used to hold the wafer and arranged on a wafer stage of the liquid immersion lithography apparatus is cleaned.