Patent ID: 8743343

Claim:
A lithographic projection apparatus comprising: a projection optical assembly having a final optical element; a stage assembly including a substrate table on which a substrate is supported, the substrate supported by the substrate table being exposed with an exposure beam from the final optical element of the projection optical assembly through an immersion liquid; a confinement member which encircles a portion of a path of the exposure beam, the confinement member having an aperture through which the exposure beam is projected; and a movable member which is movable in a space between the confinement member and the substrate, the substrate table, or both, a first portion of the space located between the confinement member and an upper surface of the movable member, and a second portion of the space located between a bottom surface of the movable member and the substrate, the substrate table, or both, wherein the movable member has a recovery outlet from which the immersion liquid in the second portion is removed, and the movable member is movable to a position at which a portion of the upper surface of the movable member is located closer to an optical axis of the projection optical assembly than is an edge of the aperture.