The invention provides an apparatus for treating a substrate with resist, comprising a spin chuck for horizontally holding a substrate, a first motor for variably rotating the spin chuck, a nozzle for applying resist solution onto the upper surface of the substrate held on the spin chuck, a cup having an upper opening through which the substrate is put in or taken out of the cup and a lower opening through which extends the driving shaft of the spin chuck, the cup positioned to surround the substrate held on the spin chuck to receive liquid centrifugally separated from the substrate which is rotated about its axis, a lid to close the upper opening of the cup to define a space around the substrate, a second motor for variably rotating the cup independently of the spin chuck rotation, a liftable cylinder for relatively moving at least one of the spin chuck and cup, which are positioned apart from each other, toward each other to achieve mutual contact, and an O-ring for hermetically sealing the mutual contact portion between the cup and spin chuck when these cup and spin chuck are brought into mutual contact by the liftable cylinder. When the cup and spin chuck are brought into mutual contact by the liftable cylinder, the lower opening of the cup is closed by the spin chuck to form a hermetic space. The spin chuck and cup are rotated in synchronism by first and second motors while the chamber is kept hermetically closed.

A coating apparatus comprises a rotary container rotatable about a rotational axis as the center, a rotary rest table, located in the rotary container to be movable vertically and rotatable about the rotational axis as the center, for supporting a target substrate thereon, coating solution supply pipe for applying a coating solution to the target substrate, cleaning solution supply pipe for spraying a cleaning solution to an inner surface of the rotary container, a seal member provided between the rotary rest table and the bottom wall of the rotary container and capable of sealing a gap between the rotary rest table and the bottom wall of the rotary container, and connecting mechanism for connecting the rotary container and the rotary rest table so as to rotate together. The cleaning solution supply pipe projects from a through hole formed in the upper portion of the rotary container to be coaxial with the rotational axis, and the coating solution supply pipe projects from the through hole of the rotary container to be coaxial with the rotational axis.

A coating apparatus comprises a rotary container rotatable about a rotational axis as the center, a rotary rest table, located in the rotary container to be movable vertically and rotatable about the rotational axis as the center, for supporting a target substrate thereon, coating solution supply pipe for applying a coating solution to the target substrate, cleaning solution supply pipe for spraying a cleaning solution to an inner surface of the rotary container, a seal member provided between the rotary rest table and the bottom wall of the rotary container and capable of sealing a gap between the rotary rest table and the bottom wall of the rotary container, and connecting mechanism for connecting the rotary container and the rotary rest table so as to rotate together. The cleaning solution supply pipe projects from a through hole formed in the upper portion of the rotary container to be coaxial with the rotational axis, and the coating solution supply pipe projects from the through hole of the rotary container to be coaxial with the rotational axis.

A substrate solution-processing method comprising the steps of preparing a pair of spin chucks by which semiconductor wafers are supported, a housing by which the wafers supported by the spin chucks are enclosed, motor for rotating the spin chucks, a nozzle through which developing or resist solution is applied to each wafer, means for moving the nozzle between the wafers, and a waiting trench at which the nozzle is kept waiting, setting substantially same the times needed to finish the cycles of processing the wafers supported on at least two spin chucks and delaying one process cycle from the other, and keeping the nozzle waiting at the waiting trench unless developing or resist solution is applied to each wafer through the nozzle.

An improved spin coating apparatus (10) having a spin tub (28) surrounding a chuck (14), the chuck (14) being adapted for hold a workpiece (16) for coating. The chuck (14) and the spin tub (28) are spun coaxially and independently such that the chuck (14) may be stopped while the spin tub (28) remains spinning. The spin tub (28) defines a frustum of a cone with a plurality of outlet slots (60) distributed at a large end (52) thereof such that centrifugal force will direct contaminants out of the spin tub (28) through the outlet slots (60). A plurality of fan vanes (62) create an air stream (88) through the spin tub (28) which pulls contaminants through the outlet slots (60) and into a plenum chamber (72) where they are expelled therefrom through a vent tube (64).