Patent ID: 7617833

Claim:
A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a substrate holder which holds a substrate approximately horizontally; a blocking member made of a material which permits propagation of ultrasonic vibration, said blocking member comprising an opposed surface which can become opposed against a surface-to-be-processed of said substrate which is held by said substrate holder, said opposed surface being spaced apart from but opposed against said surface-to-be-processed; a processing liquid supplier which supplies a processing liquid to a space which is formed between said surface-to-be-processed of said substrate and said opposed surface of said blocking member, thereby filling said space up with said processing liquid in liquid-tight state; and an ultrasonic wave applying element which applies a liquid to which ultrasonic vibration has propagated to a non-opposed surface of said blocking member except said opposed surface to generate an ultrasonic vibration in said blocking member, said ultrasonic vibration being partially transmitted from said entire opposed surface to said surface-to-be-processed through said processing liquid.