Patent ID: 8867017

Claim:
A liquid immersion exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and liquid, the apparatus comprising: a liquid immersion system which has a supply port and a recovery port, the liquid immersion system supplying the liquid to a space under the projection optical system via the supply port through a supply path and recovering the supplied liquid in the space via the recovery port through a recovery path; a flow path connected to the supply path between the supply port and a source of the liquid, the flow path permitting flow therethrough to remove liquid that remains in the supply path, the liquid that remains in the supply path not having been discharged from the supply port after having been supplied to the supply path from the source of the liquid; and a movable, member having an upper surface, the substrate being held by the movable member, and the movable member being movable below and relative to the supply and recovery ports at least during exposure of the substrate via the projection optical system, wherein during the exposure of the substrate, the liquid immersion system forms a liquid immersion area on a portion of a surface of the substrate while supplying the liquid via the supply port and recovering the liquid via the recovery port.