Developing Method, Developing Apparatus, and Storage Medium

A developing apparatus comprising:

• a substrate holding part configured to horizontally hold a substrate for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein the substrate has a resist film formed on a surface thereof which has been exposed;
• a rotating mechanism configured to rotate the substrate held by the substrate holding part;
• a developer nozzle having an opposing surface formed to face a portion of the surface of the substrate, and a discharge port of a developer, which is formed to be opened downward to face the opposing surface;
• a movement mechanism configured to move the development nozzle along the surface of the substrate;
• a relative elevating mechanism configured to elevate the developer nozzle relative to the substrate;
• and
• a controller configured to output a control signal to execute operations of:
• disposing the opposing surface above one of a central portion and a peripheral portion of the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding part;
• discharging the developer from a discharge port opened in the opposing surface to form a liquid collection portion of the developer to be in contact with the opposing surface;
• spreading the liquid collection portion by moving the developer nozzle along the surface of the substrate under rotation toward the other of the central portion and the peripheral portion of the substrate with the opposing surface brought into contact with the liquid collection portion;
• lifting the developer nozzle relative to the surface of the substrate in a state in which the discharge of the developer from the discharge port is stopped, and pulling up a portion of the liquid collection portion below the discharge port by a surface tension of the developer;
• stopping the lifting the developer nozzle, and forming a pillar of the developer, which has an upwardly-tapered upper end, wherein the upwardly-tapered upper end is brought into contact with the opposing surface by the pulled-up portion of the liquid collection portion;
• and
• applying a shearing force to the pillar of the developer to shear the upwardly-tapered upper end of the pillar of the developer and separating the pillar of the developer from the opposing surface.