Patent ID: 6869234

Claim:
A developing apparatus for developing a thin resist film with a developer and stopping development with a rinsing liquid, said resist film being formed on a major surface of a substrate and having a predetermined pattern exposed, said developing apparatus comprising: a substrate holder for holding said substrate; a substrate rotating section for rotating said substrate held by said substrate holder; a developer supply section for supplying a developer to the major surface of said substrate held by said substrate holder to form a developer layer on the major surface of said substrate; a rinsing liquid supply nozzle having a rinsing liquid discharge unit for discharging a rinsing liquid with a discharge width substantially equal to or greater than a width of said substrate; a rinsing liquid supply system for supplying a rinsing liquid to said rinsing liquid supply nozzle and causing said rinsing liquid supply nozzle to discharge a rinsing liquid from said rinsing liquid discharge unit; and a rinsing liquid supply nozzle rotation supporting section for supporting one end of said rinsing liquid supply nozzle so that said rinsing liquid supply nozzle is rotatable on a rotation axis located outside said substrate held by said substrate holder, and rotating said rinsing liquid supply nozzle to pass over said substrate held by said substrate holder, wherein said substrate held by said substrate holder is rotated in a first rotational direction, said rinsing liquid supply nozzle is rotated in said first rotational direction so as to pass over the developer layer formed on the major surface of said substrate being rotated and to discharge a rinsing liquid from said rinsing liquid discharge unit, and in response to rotation of said rinsing liquid supply nozzle, a rotation axis of said rinsing liquid supply nozzle is moved in a predetermined direction of movement closer to or away from a rotation axis of said substrate held by said substrate holder, so that a center-to-center distance between the rotation axes of said rinsing liquid supply nozzle and said substrate at least either when said rinsing liquid supply nozzle starts passing over said substrate or when said rinsing liquid supply nozzle has finished passing over said substrate is greater than said center-to-center distance when said rinsing liquid supply nozzle is passing over the rotation axis of said substrate.