Patent ID: 8956513
Filing Date: 2015-02-17
Classification: C23C

Abstract:
1. A substrate processing method, comprising: alternately transferring a substrate to at least two processing chambers, wherein same processing is performed on the substrate in each of the processing chambers, wherein recovery processing is performed to recover a state of each of the processing chambers when a number of substrates processed therein has reached a predetermined number, and wherein time required for the recovery processing is longer than time required for processing of substrates which includes move-in time, film forming time and move-out time: when the number of substrates processed in any one of the processing chambers has reached the predetermined number, starting the recovery processing in said any one of the processing chambers and, during the time until the recovery processing in said any one of the processing chambers is finished, transferring substrates only to the other of the processing chambers to thereby perform the processing of substrates; when the recovery processing in said any one of the processing chambers has been finished, starting the recovery processing in the other of the processing chambers and, during the time until the recovery processing in the other of the processing chambers is finished, transferring substrates only to said any one of the processing chambers to thereby perform the processing of substrates; resuming the alternate transferring of substrates when the recovery processing in the other of the processing chambers has been finished; and determining the time for starting the recovery processing in said any one of the processing chambers such that the recovery processing performed in said any one of the processing chambers is finished simultaneously with the time when the number of substrates processed in the other of the processing chambers has reached the predetermined number.