Patent ID: 7084955

Claim:
A device manufacturing method comprising: projecting a patterned beam of radiation, with a lithographic projection apparatus, onto a target area of a layer of radiation-sensitive material on a first surface of a substrate, said substrate including a second surface, which is opposite to the first surface and which includes at least one alignment marker, said second surface being supported by a substrate table that is substantially formed from a material that is opaque at a wavelength of projection of said lithographic projection apparatus; coupling light from said at least one alignment marker on said second surface of said substrate to form an image at a location adjacent an edge of said substrate, using at least one optical system arranged in said substrate table; aligning said substrate using said at least one alignment marker on said second surface of said substrate and an alignment system optically coupled to said at least one optical system; and based upon said alignment, forming at least one patterned layer on said first surface of said substrate; wherein said alignment is performed without using alignment markers on said first surface of said substrate.