| 摘要 |
An exposure method immerses, in liquid, a surface of an object to be exposed, and a surface of a projection optical system closest to the object, and projects a repetitive pattern formed on a mask via the projection optical system onto the object. The exposure method may direct exposure light having a wavelength lambda through a projection optical system that is at least partially immersed in liquid and has a numerical aperture of n<SUB>o</SUB>.sin theta<SUB>NA </SUB>greater than 0.9 in order to transfer a pattern formed on a mask onto an object to be exposed, wherein n<SUB>o </SUB>is a refractive index of the liquid, Deltan is the fluctuation of the refractive index of the liquid, theta<SUB>NA </SUB>is the largest angle common to the liquid and a resist material applied to the object to be exposed, and d is a thickness of the liquid in an optical-axis direction of the projection optical system which satisfies d<=(0.03lambda) cos theta<SUB>NA</SUB>/Deltan.
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