Patent ID: 7789972

Claim:
A substrate processing method, comprising the steps of: supplying a process liquid to a substrate while rotating the substrate; arranging a process liquid acquisition section so as to enclose the substrate, the acquisition section and an acquisition port thereof being disposed for acquiring a process liquid scattered by the rotation of the substrate; using said process liquid acquisition section to acquire the process liquid scattered from the substrate in said acquisition port; and controlling a relative position between the substrate and the acquisition port such that the scattered process liquid is acquired in the acquisition port on the basis of a predetermined substrate process condition; said controlling step including, while the scattered process liquid is being acquired in the acquisition port, and the same process liquid continues being supplied to the substrate, the step of controlling the relative positions of the substrate and the acquisition port, to change said relative positions in response to a change of the rotation speed of the substrate, such that the scattered process liquid continues entering into the acquisition port regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate.