Patent ID: 8428763

Claim:
A management apparatus which manages an exposure apparatus that projects a pattern of a reticle onto a substrate via a projection optical system to expose the substrate, wherein the management apparatus is configured at least to: obtain a list of a plurality of lots for which exposure processes are reserved, an initial value of an aberration of the projection optical system before start of the exposure processes of the plurality of lots, and an allowable value of the aberration of the projection optical system, below which the exposure process can be performed, for each of the plurality of lots, generate candidates for an order of the plurality of lots, for which the exposure processes are reserved, based on the obtained list, calculate a time, from start of an exposure process of a first lot until end of an exposure process of a last lot, for each of the generated candidates for the order while adjusting time intervals between the lots so that the aberration of the projection optical system in the exposure process of each of the plurality of lots falls below the allowable value for a corresponding lot, and determine a candidate for the order of the plurality of lots, for which the calculated time is minimized, the order of the plurality of lots being a processing order of the plurality of lots.