Patent ID: 9305814
Filing Date: 2016-04-05
CPC Classification: H01L

Claim Text:
1. A method of controlling substrate carrying-in performed in a substrate processing apparatus including at least one substrate processing chamber for processing product substrates, and a substrate conveying chamber that is connected to the substrate processing chamber, for conveying the product substrates therethrough, the substrate conveying chamber having at least one inlet port to which are connected containers containing the product substrates and through which the product substrates are supplied from the containers to the substrate processing chamber, comprising: a substrate carrying-in inhibiting step of inhibiting, in response to an external instruction, which is issued when abnormal noise is generated from the substrate processing chamber, subsequent product substrates from being conveyed into the substrate processing chamber from which the abnormal noise is generated after the external instruction; an inspection substrate carrying-in permitting step of permitting an inspection substrate to be conveyed from a predetermined one of the containers which is connected to the inlet port into the substrate processing chamber from which the abnormal noise is generated, in response to a notification that the predetermined container contains the inspection substrate; and a container removing step of removing the container from the inlet port after processing all the product substrates contained in the container, the container being a removable element distinct from the substrate processing apparatus, wherein said substrate carrying-in inhibiting step further comprises continuing processing all the product substrates contained in the container, which is connected to the inlet port and which previously contained a product substrate being processed, before the external instruction is received, and continuing processing all the product substrates contained in the container without interrupting processing the product substrates by the substrate processing chamber from which the abnormal noise is generated and then inhibiting conveying the subsequent product substrates into the substrate processing chamber from which the abnormal noise is generated only after completion of the processing of all the product substrates contained in the container even after the external instruction is received, wherein the continued processing of all the product substrates contained in the container is performed using the substrate processing chamber, in which the abnormal noise is generated, even after the external instruction for inhibiting is received.