An exposure apparatus according to this invention includes a projection optical system having a predetermined image forming characteristic; a reticle stage, arranged on one side of the projection optical system, and which holds a reticle having a transfer pattern and has a reference plate for positioning; and a wafer stage, arranged on the other side of the projection optical system, and which holds a wafer where the transfer pattern is transferred and has a reference mark. For transferring the transfer pattern to the wafer, a reticle protection pellicle and an optical device are arranged between the reticle and the projection optical system. For performing positioning using the reference plate and the reference mark, a correction optical device is arranged between the reference plate and the projection optical system. The correction optical device has a thickness equal to the total thickness of the optical device and pellicle.