Patent ID: 7467635

Claim:
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a holding table for rotatably holding a substrate; a supply portion for supplying processing solution to said substrate; a pot for collecting the processing solution scattered from said substrate, wherein said pot is placed in the outer radius of said holding table; and at least one light irradiation unit for applying light to said substrate; wherein said pot comprises a ring-shaped inner circumference plate, a ring-shaped outer circumference plate, a tope plate, and a bottom plate coupling the inner circumference plate and the outer circumference plate, and at least one divider element which can be moved in the direction of the axis of said holding table, the tip of the inner circumference plate being at the nearly same height of the holding plane of the holding table, the divider element having an opening switch portion extending with a similar angle to the angle of the top plate and having a connection tip connected to the opening switch portion, and wherein at least first and second spaces for collecting processing solutions can be formed in the pot by changing the position of said at least one divider element, wherein when the divider element is placed at a first position, the first space for collecting processing solution is connected with the holding table by a ring-shaped first opening formed between the tip of the inner circumference plate and the opening switch portion which is abutted on the top plate, and the first space is connected with the second space for collecting processing solution through a second opening, the second opening formed between the connection tip of the divider and the bottom plate and placed at a position lower than the holding table, wherein when the divider element is placed at a second position, the opening switch portion is away from the top plate and is abutted on the tip of the inner circumference plate and the second opening is closed by connecting the connection tip to the bottom plate to shut the first space for collecting processing solution completely, the substrate processing apparatus further comprising first and second drainpipes connected to the first and second spaces for collecting processing solutions respectively and a single gas-solution separation portion connected to the outer second space for collecting processing solution.