Patent ID: 7737055

Claim:
A method for processing a semiconductor substrate with a liquid, the method comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate; continuously spinning the semiconductor substrate about a rotational axis; introducing liquid onto a contact area on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the act of introducing liquid comprising: positioning the contact area at a first position on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, the contact area including an intersection between the surface and the rotational axis in the first position; moving the contact area in a radially outward direction from the first position to a second position to form a substantially annular-shaped sheet or film of the liquid on the surface, the contact area not including the intersection in the second position; and moving the contact area in a radially inward direction from the second position to a third position radially between the first position and the second position to reduce an inner diameter of the substantially annular-shaped sheet or film of the liquid, the contact area not including the intersection in the third position.