Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

• a stage provided to be rotatable;
• a plurality of holders provided on one side of the stage and configured to hold a substrate;
• a liquid supply configured to supply a liquid having a temperature higher than a freezing point to a surface of the substrate opposite to the stage;
• a cooler configured to supply a cooling gas to a space between the stage and the substrate;
• a mover configured to change a distance between the stage and the substrate held by the plurality of holders;
• and
• a controller configured to control the cooler and the mover,
• wherein the controller is further configured to:
• control the cooler to perform a switching between a first process of supplying the cooling gas and a second process of stopping the supply of the cooling gas,
• in the first process, control the mover to set the distance to a first distance, and
• in the second process, control the mover to set the distance to a second distance longer than the first distance.

A substrate processing method comprising:

• supplying a cooling gas to one surface of a substrate that has a film of a liquid on a remaining surface while the substrate is being rotated, thereby freezing the liquid;
• and
• thawing the liquid frozen in the freezing,
• wherein, in the freezing the liquid, a distance between the substrate and a stage on which the substrate is placed is set to a first distance, and
• in the thawing the liquid, the distance is set to a second distance longer than the first distance.