Patent ID: 7360546

Claim:
A cleaning apparatus for a semiconductor wafer comprising: a double container including an inner container with an upper opening for accommodating a substrate to be cleaned and an outer container having an airtight space accommodating the inner container therein, the inner container communicating with the outer container through the upper opening in the inner container, and the inner container is located substantially inside the outer container; a cleaning liquid supply conduit for supplying a cleaning liquid into the inner container; an inner container drain conduit for draining the cleaning liquid from the inner container; a solvent-containing gas supply conduit for supplying a solvent-containing gas into the inner container for drying the substrate; a solvent-resolving gas supply conduit for supplying a solvent-resolving gas into the inner container for resolving a solvent component attached on the substrate; an exhaust pipe for exhausting the gases from the double container, an outer container drain conduit for draining the liquid spilled from the inner container to the outer container, wherein the outer container includes a top wall, a bottom wall, and lateral sidewall(s) which enclose the inner container therein; and wherein the solvent-containing gas supply conduit and the solvent-resolving gas supply conduit supply their respective gases directly into the inner container and thus not into the outer container.