Patent ID: 7913346

Claim:
A substrate treatment apparatus comprising: a substrate holding mechanism which holds a substrate; a scrub brush for scrubbing a surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism to remove foreign matter from the substrate surface; an alkaline gas supplying mechanism which supplies an alkaline gas to a surface of the scrub brush in a standby period during which no substrate is scrubbed with the scrub brush; a brush moving mechanism which moves the scrub brush between a treatment position in which the substrate surface is scrubbed and a standby position to which the scrub brush is retracted from the treatment position; and a standby pot arranged to receive the scrub brush at the standby position, the standby pot including a pot body in a form of a bottomed tubular container having a side wall, wherein the alkaline gas supplying mechanism supplies the alkaline gas to the scrub brush when the scrub brush is located in the standby position, the alkaline gas supplying mechanism includes an alkaline liquid retaining portion provided below the standby position for retaining a volatile alkaline liquid from which the alkaline gas is liberated, the alkaline liquid retaining portion includes a plate member projecting inwardly from an interior surface of the side wall and having an opening penetrating therethrough, and the alkaline gas supplying mechanism further includes an alkaline liquid supplying nozzle for supplying an alkaline liquid to the alkaline liquid retaining portion, the alkaline liquid supplying nozzle arranged on the side wall of the pot body above the plate member such that the alkaline liquid supplied by the alkaline liquid supply nozzle flows down along the interior surface of the side wall of the pot body.