Substrate holding and rotating device, substrate treatment apparatus including the device, and substrate treatment method

1. A substrate treatment apparatus comprising:

a substrate holding and rotating device; and

a treatment liquid supply unit which supplies a treatment liquid to an upper surface of a substrate held by the substrate holding and rotating device;

the substrate holding and rotating device comprising:

a turntable rotatable about a vertical rotation axis;

a rotative drive unit which rotates the turntable;

a holding member which is provided on the turntable and horizontally holds the substrate in upwardly spaced relation to the turntable;

a protection disk disposed between the turntable and a substrate holding position at which the substrate is held by the holding member, and attached to the turntable so as to be vertically movable relative to the turntable between a lower position and an adjacent position closer than the lower position to a lower surface of the substrate held by the holding member above the lower position, the protection disk having a notch provided in a peripheral portion thereof at a position corresponding to a position of the holding member to border the holding member;

a lateral side covering member which is attached to the protection disk and covers a space defined between the substrate held by the holding member and the turntable from a lateral side of the turntable;

wherein the lateral side covering member includes a skirt portion having a first portion extending radially outwardly from a peripheral edge of the protection disk and a second portion extending downwardly from the first portion outside of the turntable;

a magnetic levitation mechanism including a first magnet attached to the protection disk, a second magnet which has an annular shape coaxial about the vertical rotation axis and generates a repulsive force with respect to the first magnet, a first support member which non-rotatably supports the second magnet, and a first relative movement mechanism which moves the first support member relative to the turntable so as to change a distance between the first magnet and the second magnet, the magnetic levitation mechanism being configured to levitate the protection disk from the turntable by the repulsive force generated between the first magnet and the second magnet; and

an inert gas supply unit which supplies an inert gas, which does not undergo chemical reactions under operating conditions of the substrate treatment apparatus, to a space defined between the substrate held and rotated by the substrate holding and rotating device and the protection disk located at the adjacent position;

wherein the protection disk has a restriction portion provided on an upper surface thereof, the restriction portion defines an orifice between the restriction portion and a peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate held by the holding member, and the orifice restricts an inert gas flow passage defined between the substrate held by the holding member and the protection disk.

2. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a receiving member which receives a treatment liquid supplied from the treatment liquid supply unit to the substrate held by the substrate holding and rotating device and flowing outward from the surface of the substrate,

wherein the first support member is fixed to the receiving member,

wherein the first relative movement mechanism is configured to move the receiving member and the turntable relative to each other.

3. The substrate treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inert gas supply unit includes an inert gas nozzle which ejects the inert gas radially toward a peripheral edge of the substrate held by the holding member from a rotation center of the turntable.