Patent ID: 8068209

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate having an imaging surface; a projection optical system having a last optical element and an optical axis, the projection optical system configured to project an image onto a target imaging area on the imaging surface of the substrate through an immersion liquid filled in a gap between the imaging surface of the substrate and the last optical element; an immersion element which maintains the immersion liquid in the gap between the imaging surface of the substrate and the last optical element, the immersion element including an aperture through which the image is projected onto the substrate and a non-fluid removal area which surrounds the aperture; and a plurality of plates positioned between the immersion element and the substrate such that there is a first gap in a direction of the optical axis between the immersion element and the plurality of plates and a second gap in the direction of the optical axis between the plurality of plates and the substrate, the plurality of plates being provided further away from the aperture than is the non-fluid removal area in a radial direction perpendicular to the optical axis, the plurality of plates being arranged in succession in the radial direction, and the plurality of plates being spaced from one another in the radial direction.