Patent ID: 8724085

Claim:
An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid, the apparatus comprising: a liquid immersion system that supplies the liquid to form a liquid immersion region below the projection optical system; a first table on which a substrate is mountable; a second table on which a substrate is mountable; a drive system that drives the first and second tables, the first and second tables each being positionable below the projection optical system by the drive system; and a controller configured to control the drive system (i) to move the first and second tables, one of which is arranged opposite to the projection optical system, relative to each other such that the other of the first and second tables comes close to the one of the first and second tables, and (ii) to move the close first and second tables relative to the liquid immersion region such that the other of the first and second tables is arranged opposite to the projection optical system in place of the one of the first and second tables, wherein the liquid immersion region is transferred from the one of the first and second tables to the other of the first and second tables by the movement of the close first and second tables relative to the liquid immersion region while the liquid immersion region is substantially maintained below and in contact with the projection optical system.