PURPOSE: To perform a highly accurate positioning by a method wherein a positioning operation is disconnected when the positioning is incomplete, the next positioning operation is performed first, then the operation is returned to the incomplete positioning again, and a positioining operation is conducted while the length of an absolute positioning is measured based on the driving information memorized.

CONSTITUTION: When the relative positioning on a shot Sn is incomplete in a die-by-die mode, run-on quantities for shots, on which relative positioning have been completed, such as shots Sn-k W Sn-1, for example, are set to be dn-k W dn-1. The average run-on quantity Meas dn' when the relative positioning of the shot Sn-1 is finished becomes Meas dn'=(dn-1+dn-2+dn-3+...+dn-k/k(k is a prescribed constant). This value is stored in a CPU 17 and the like. Then, a positioning is performed in the shot adjoining to said error shot, and the information on the average value of the run-on quantity of a plurality of shots, performed in the past, and also the information on the run-on quantity required for the relative positioning in the shot adjoining to said error shot, are reflected on an absolute relative positioning. Through these procedures, the wafer is prevented from being affected by the variation with time of the wafer shape.