Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method

A system, comprising:

• a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate;
• a surrounding structure surrounding the substrate table;
• a liquid confinement structure configured to at least partly confine a liquid within a space adjacent the substrate, or the substrate table, or the surrounding structure, or any combination of the foregoing;
• an actuator configured to move the substrate table with respect to the surrounding structure and/or move the surrounding structure with respect to the substrate table, at least in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the surrounding structure;
• and
• a controller configured to drive the actuator to move the substrate table and/or surrounding structure to a position so that the surface of the substrate, when held on the substrate table, is substantially level with the surface of the surrounding structure at the location and when the liquid is about to or does contact the surrounding structure from the substrate, or at the location and when the liquid is about to or does contact the substrate from the surrounding structure.

A device manufacturing method, comprising:

• confining a liquid within a space adjacent a substrate, or a substrate table holding the substrate, or a surrounding structure that surrounds the substrate table, or any combination of the foregoing;
• moving the substrate table with respect to the surrounding structure and/or moving the surrounding structure with respect to the substrate table, to a position where a surface of the substrate is substantially level with a surface of the surrounding structure at the location and when the liquid is about to or does contact the surrounding structure from the substrate, or at the location and when the liquid is about to or does contact the substrate from the surrounding structure;
• and
• projecting a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate.

A system, comprising:

• a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate;
• a surrounding structure surrounding the substrate table;
• an actuator configured to move the substrate table with respect to the surrounding structure and/or move the surrounding structure with respect to the substrate table, at least in a first direction perpendicular to a surface of the surrounding structure and in a second direction about an axis perpendicular to the first direction;
• and
• a controller configured to drive the actuator to move the substrate table and/or surrounding structure to a position so that the surface of the substrate, when held on the substrate table, is substantially level with the surface of the surrounding structure.