A fluid application apparatus of the present invention includes a rotatable substrate holding mechanism (4), a photoresist liquid supply portion (5) and a motor mechanism (26). The photoresist liquid supply portion (5) supplies resist fluid to a region smaller than the entire region of the substrate surface while moving in the horizontal direction relative to the substrate holding mechanism (4). The motor mechanism (26) rotates the substrate holding mechanism (4) to diffuse the resist fluid over the entire surface of the substrate and form a resist layer having a predetermined thickness. <IMAGE>