Apparatus and method for forming liquid film

Abstract

A liquid film formation apparatus comprises a substrate holding portion for holding a substrate substantially horizontally so as to allow a pattern-to-be-formed surface to face upward, a liquid-receiving base surrounding the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and having a liquid-receiving face which is placed at substantially the same level as that of an upper surface of the substrate, a supply nozzle having a process-liquid spray section whose length is equal to or longer than the width of an effective region of the substrate, and a moving mechanism for moving the supply nozzle in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the supply nozzle, in which the substrate holding portion seals a slit formed between the liquid-receiving base and the outer peripheral portion of the substrate so as not to leak out the process solution from the slit, and the process solution is supplied from the supply nozzle to the liquid-receiving base to mount the process solution on the liquid-receiving base, and the process solution is subsequently mounted over an entire surface of the substrate by spraying the process solution from the supply nozzle while moving the supply nozzle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.