Patent ID: 7408618

Claim:
A method for aligning a substrate in a lithographic apparatus, the method comprising: a) determining from a geometric reference of the substrate a position of a window on the substrate, the window indicating an area in which an alignment mark of the substrate may be expected; b) measuring a position of the alignment mark in the window; c) determining a relationship between the measured position of the alignment mark and the position of the window; d) storing in a database for the substrate the relationship between the measured position of the alignment mark and the position of the window; e) aligning the substrate making use of the measured position of the alignment mark; and f) repeating a) to e) for a following aligning of the substrate, wherein prior to b) the position of the window is amended making use of the relationship between the measured position of the alignment mark and the position of the window as stored in the database for at least one preceding aligning.