Patent ID: 8979462
Filing Date: 2015-03-17
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. A substrate-processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of process chambers, a substrate being processed in each of the process chambers; a buffer unit including a plurality of groups of supports, each support supporting a substrate to be loaded and processed in the plurality of process chambers; and a transfer member including first and second groups of horizontally movable pick-up hands, each substrate being respectively placed on the first and second groups of horizontally movable pick-up hands, the transfer member transferring a substrate between the plurality of process chambers and the buffer unit, wherein the supports in each group are vertically apart from each other at a first distance and horizontally movable pick-up hands in each of the first and second groups are vertically apart from each other at the first distance, wherein each group of the plurality of groups of supports is vertically apart from each other at a second distance and the first group is vertically apart from the second group at the second distance, wherein substrates in a same group of the buffer unit are removed by the second group at once, and wherein, when at least two of the plurality of process chambers finish processing substrates simultaneously, the first group of horizontally movable pick-up hands removes the simultaneously finished substrates from the plurality of process chambers and transfers the simultaneously finished substrates to the buffer unit at once.