Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

• a cleaning tank configured to store a cleaning liquid for a substrate to be processed;
• a drying chamber disposed above the cleaning tank, the drying chamber including a gas supply part therein, the gas supply part being configured to supply a drying gas;
• a holding part configured to hold a substrate to be processed and to move the substrate to be processed between the cleaning tank and the drying chamber;
• and
• a control device configured to control the gas supply part and the holding part in such a manner that a substrate to be processed is firstly immersed into the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank, that a drying gas is then supplied into the drying chamber from the gas supply part only in an obliquely downward direction descendent from a substantially horizontal direction, or a vertically downward direction, and that the substrate to be processed is moved upward by the holding part from the cleaning tank into the drying chamber with the drying gas being supplied into the drying chamber from the gas supply part, and in such a manner that, during this upward movement of the substrate to be processed from the cleaning tank into the drying chamber, after starting this upward movement the supply of the drying gas into the drying chamber is stopped, under a condition where a part of the substrate to be processed is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank and the rest of the substrate to be processed is exposed outside the cleaning liquid, and that a drying gas is supplied into the drying chamber in an obliquely upward direction ascendant from the substantially horizontal direction or a vertically upward direction, after the movement of the substrate to be processed into the drying chamber has been finished.