Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method of manufacturing device

A scanning exposure apparatus for projecting a pattern of a reticle onto a substrate via a projection optical system using slit-shaped light while scanning the reticle and the substrate, to expose the substrate, the apparatus comprising:

• a stage that holds the substrate;
• a positioning mechanism that positions said stage in a scanning direction and an optical axis direction of the projection optical system;
• a measurement device that measures a level of the substrate that is a position of the substrate in the optical axis direction at a plurality of measurement points located with spacings therebetween in the scanning direction;
• and
• a controller,
• wherein the plurality of measurement points include a first measurement point outside a region in which the slit-shaped light is incident on the substrate,
• wherein the scanning exposure apparatus is configured to measure the level of the substrate at the first measurement point using said measurement device, and scan the substrate while positioning said stage in the optical axis direction using said positioning mechanism based on the level measured at the first measurement points, and
• wherein said controller:
• causes, before the substrate is exposed, said measurement device to measure the level of the substrate at a predetermined position on the substrate while said stage moves during an acceleration period, and measure the level of the substrate at the predetermined position while said stage moves during a constant velocity period,
• calculates a difference between the measurement results of the level of the substrate at the predetermined position, which are obtained during the acceleration period and during the constant velocity period, respectively, to obtain the calculated difference as a correction value for a measurement error due to factors associated with acceleration of the stage, and
• corrects the level of the substrate measured at the first measurement point using the obtained correction value in case the substrate is exposed at a given position after the level of the substrate at the given position is measured at the first measurement point during the acceleration period.