Patent ID: 8755025

Claim:
A method for exposing a substrate, the method comprising: holding the substrate on a substrate holding member; irradiating, via a liquid and a projection optical system, a light beam to the substrate on the substrate holding member, the liquid being of an immersion area locally filling a space between the projection optical system and the substrate held by the substrate holding member, the immersion area covering a portion of an upper surface of the substrate that is smaller than an area of the upper surface of the substrate; and removing, after an exposure of the substrate via the liquid, a liquid separated from the immersion area and remained on the substrate before supporting the substrate by a transferring member, the transferring member transferring the exposed substrate from the substrate holding member to outside of the substrate holding member, wherein the remained liquid is removed by blowing a gas against the exposed substrate, and the blowing the gas takes place while moving the exposed substrate.