Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method and substrate processing system

A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

• a chamber having an internal space;
• a spin chuck provided rotatably about an axis of rotation extending in a vertical direction while holding a substrate to be substantially horizontal in the internal space;
• a processing mechanism configured to perform substrate processing on the substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the spin chuck;
• a first cup configured to collect and discharge the processing liquid scattered from the substrate by the rotation of the spin chuck while surrounding an outer periphery of the substrate;
• a fan filter unit configured to supply gas from a first opening provided in a ceiling wall of the chamber into the internal space;
• a second cup having a tube-shape upper sealing member and a tube-shape lower sealing member and being configured to allow formation of an atmosphere separated space separated from a surrounding environment by causing the lower sealing member and the upper sealing member to surround a space extending toward a central part of the first opening from a processing space surrounded by the first cup, the tube-shape upper sealing member being attached from a side of the internal space to the ceiling wall in such a manner as to surround the first opening entirely, the tube-shape lower sealing member being provided movably in the vertical direction with an outer peripheral surface of the lower sealing member overlapping an inner peripheral surface of the upper sealing member in the vertical direction;
• an outside flow straightening member attached to the upper sealing member in such a manner as to straighten the flow of the gas passing between the upper sealing member and the lower sealing member to cause the gas to flow downward along an outer side surface of the lower sealing member;
• an inside flow straightening member provided movably up and down integrally with the lower sealing member in such a manner as to straighten the flow of the gas passing inside the lower sealing member to cause the gas to flow in the processing space;
• a motor configured to move the lower sealing member up and down;
• and
• a controller configured to control the motor in such a manner as to form the atmosphere separated space by moving the lower sealing member down to a predetermined lower limit position in the vertical direction, and to allow access to the processing space and to increase the flow rate of the gas flowing downward along the outer side surface of the lower sealing member by moving the lower sealing member up to a retracted position vertically above the lower limit position.