Patent ID: 7503978

Claim:
A substrate processing apparatus which performs predetermined processing on a substrate which is positioned approximately horizontally at a substrate processing position, comprising: a base member which is provided underneath said substrate positioned at said substrate processing position and which is distanced from said substrate by a predetermined distance; a motor which drives said base member to rotate about a vertical axis; a substrate floating device which includes a substrate floating head and which ejects out gas toward a bottom surface of said substrate at an ejection outlet which is formed in a support surface of said substrate floating head, thereby floating up said substrate approximately horizontally, said support surface which is faced against the bottom surface of said substrate; and an upward/downward driver which drives said substrate floating head along an up-down direction relative to said base member, thereby moving said substrate floated up by said substrate floating head to a substrate transfer position, which is located above said substrate processing position and at which a distance between said base member and said substrate positioned at said substrate transfer position is larger than a distance between said base member and said substrate positioned at said substrate processing position, and to said substrate processing position and positioning said substrate at said substrate transfer position and said substrate processing position, wherein said base member has a dent which is formed in a top central portion thereof, said dent having a plane size which is larger than a plane size of said substrate floating head, and wherein said base member rotates in a state that at least a lower portion of said substrate floating head retracts into said dent.