Patent ID: 8287954

Claim:
A method of forming an applied film, dropping on a substrate a liquid to be applied thereon, and rotating said substrate to cause a force to disperse said liquid in a form of a film to form a film applied on an upper surface of said substrate, comprising the steps of: holding said substrate substantially horizontally on a substrate holding and rotating device accommodated in a processing cup having an opening that opens upward to allow said substrate to be loaded and unloaded; dropping said liquid on an upper surface of said substrate rotating on said substrate holding and rotating device; aspirating an external air through an aspiration port on said processing cup and located below said substrate held on said substrate holding and rotating device, and exhausting an unnecessary atmosphere produced in forming said film applied on said substrate and said external air through an exhaust port on said processing cup, wherein the step of exhausting is performed such that a processing space located above said substrate and a space located below said substrate are substantially separated, wherein a perimeter of said substrate held on said substrate holding and rotating device is spaced from said opening of the processing cup by a predetermined gap, wherein, below said substrate held on said substrate holding and rotating device, an exhaust flow path extends from said aspiration port to said exhaust port, by an aspirating device provided on said exhaust port, said gap and said exhaust flow path communicating with each other, and wherein the exhaust port is arranged internally with respect to the aspiration port.