Patent ID: 8001983

Claim:
A cleaning apparatus comprising: a substrate holding unit for holding a circular substrate in a horizontal attitude, the substrate holding unit being non-rotatable; an airtight container that accommodates the substrate such that a gap is formed between the airtight container and a front surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit and a gap is formed between the airtight container and at least a peripheral portion of a back surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; a first cleaning liquid supply path, opening into an interior of the airtight container to face a center portion of the front surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, that supplies a cleaning liquid toward the center portion of the front surface of the substrate; a dry gas supply path through which a dry gas is supplied to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit after the substrate is supplied with the cleaning liquid; and a fluid discharge path, opening into the interior of the airtight container along a circle having its center located on a center axis of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, that discharges the cleaning liquid from the airtight container, wherein the airtight container is formed such that the gap between the airtight container and the front surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit at a peripheral portion of the substrate is smaller than that at the center portion of the substrate, whereby the cleaning liquid supplied through the first cleaning liquid supply path into the airtight container flows and spreads from the center portion of the substrate to the peripheral portion of the substrate and exits through the fluid discharge path while the gaps between the airtight container and the surfaces of the substrate are filled up with the cleaning liquid.