Patent ID: 7595861

Claim:
An exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern to a substrate by exposing the substrate to light via a reticle, the apparatus comprising: (a) an inspection unit configured to inspect the reticle; (b) an exposure unit configured to expose the substrate to light via the reticle inspected by the inspection unit; and (c) a controller configured to control the inspection unit and the exposure unit, wherein the controller is configured: (i) to set a partial region of the reticle, (ii) to cause the inspection unit to inspect the partial region of the reticle and a region of the reticle that is different from the partial region, and (iii) to cause the exposure unit to expose the substrate to light via the partial region, irrespective of a presence and an absence of an abnormality in the region that is different from the partial region, if the inspection unit finds no abnormality in the partial region.