Patent ID: 7763869

Claim:
A UV light irradiating apparatus for irradiating a semiconductor substrate with UV light, comprising: a reactor in which a substrate-supporting table is provided, said reactor being provided with a light transmission window; a UV light irradiation unit connected to the reactor for irradiating a semiconductor substrate placed on the substrate-supporting table with UV light through the light transmission window, said UV light irradiation unit including at least one UV lamp; and a liquid layer-forming channel disposed between the light transmission window and the UV lamp for forming a liquid layer through which the UV light is transmitted, said liquid layer being formed by a liquid flowing through the liquid layer-forming channel, wherein the liquid layer-forming channel is formed by a double walled enclosure that comprises an inner wall and an outer wall for passing the liquid between the walls, said inner wall being spaced from the at least one UV lamp by a space which allows gas to flow therethrough, wherein each of the space, the inner wall, the liquid layer, and the outer wall encloses and fully encircles the at least one UV lamp, and the liquid layer-forming channel is configured to form a planar liquid layer between the at least one UV lamp and the substrate-supporting table, said planar liquid layer being disposed substantially in parallel to the substrate-supporting table.