Patent ID: 7604013

Claim:
A developing apparatus for developing an exposed film formed on a substrate by pouring a developer through a developer pouring nozzle onto the exposed film and subsequently cleaning the surface of the substrate, said developing apparatus comprising: a substrate holding device that holds a substrate in a horizontal position; a rotating mechanism that rotates the substrate holding device about a vertical axis; a cleaning liquid pouring nozzle that pours a cleaning liquid onto the substrate held by the substrate holding device; a nozzle driving mechanism that shifts the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle; at least one controller configured to control the rotating mechanism, the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle, and the nozzle driving mechanism by providing control signals to each of the rotating mechanism, the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle, and the nozzle driving mechanism such that the rotating mechanism rotates the substrate holding device at a rotating speed not lower than 1500 rpm and the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle pours the cleaning liquid onto the substrate while the nozzle driving mechanism shifts the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle radially outward relative to a center of the substrate at a nozzle moving speed high enough to keep the cleaning liquid pouring position ahead of a margin of a dry area not wetted with the cleaning liquid in a central part of the substrate that is created by the rotation of the substrate holding device; and a gas blowing nozzle that blows a gas onto the substrate, wherein the gas blowing nozzle is held together with the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle on a common arm so as to move together with the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle, wherein the at least one controller is configured to control the gas blowing nozzle by providing control signals to the gas blowing nozzle such that the gas blowing nozzle blows a gas onto the central part of the substrate for a predetermined time immediately after the nozzle driving mechanism shifts the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle from the center of the substrate, then the gas blowing nozzle instantly stops blowing the gas prior to the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle reaching the edge of the substrate as the nozzle driving mechanism shifts the cleaning liquid pouring nozzle radially outward relative to the center of the substrate.