Patent ID: 8337659

Claim:
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a spin chuck configured to hold a substrate and rotate the same; a deionized water supply system configured to supply deionized water to the substrate rotated by the spin chuck; a fluid nozzle configured to supply a drying fluid having a higher volatility than that of deionized water to the substrate; a fluid supply source configured to supply the drying fluid to the fluid nozzle; a fluid supply channel connecting the fluid supply source with the fluid nozzle; a fluid valve provided on the fluid supply channel to control supplying of the drying fluid to the fluid nozzle; an inert gas nozzle configured to supply an inert gas to the substrate; and an inert gas supply channel connecting an insert gas source with the inert gas nozzle; an inert gas valve provided on the inert gas supply channel to control supplying of the inert gas to the inert gas nozzle; a nozzle moving mechanism that moves the fluid nozzle and the inert gas nozzle radially outward relative to a rotational center of the substrate, while maintaining the inert gas nozzle nearer to the rotational center of the substrate than the fluid nozzle, the nozzle moving mechanism including a nozzle support arm to which the fluid nozzle and the inert gas nozzle are commonly mounted, and also including a driving mechanism configured to drive the nozzle support arm such that both the fluid nozzle and the inert gas nozzle are moved radially outward at least within a moving range from the rotational center to a periphery of the substrate held by the spin chuck, wherein the fluid nozzle and the inert gas nozzle are mounted to the nozzle support arm such that the inert gas nozzle is kept nearer to the rotational center of the substrate than the fluid nozzle when the fluid nozzle and the inert gas nozzle are moving within the moving range.