Patent Publication Number: US-2022230897-A1

Title: Substrate processing apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
     This non-provisional U.S. patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-006865, filed on Jan. 20, 2021, in the Japanese Patent Office, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus. 
     2. Related Art 
     As an apparatus of manufacturing a semiconductor device, an apparatus including a process chamber in which a substrate is processed and a transfer chamber in which a robot capable of transferring the substrate is provided may be used. When a substance unrelated to a substrate processing is present in the transfer chamber (for example, moisture is present in the transfer chamber), a yield may be reduced. Therefore, an amount of a foreign matter such as the moisture in the transfer chamber should be reduced. According to some related arts, the entirety of the transfer chamber is heated to remove the moisture. 
     The moisture may be abundant in a low temperature region of the transfer chamber. Then, when trying to process the transfer chamber as described above (for example, by heating the entirety of transfer chamber), the moisture may not be completely removed. 
     SUMMARY 
     Described herein is a technique capable of reducing an amount of moisture in a low temperature region in a substrate processing apparatus provided with a transfer chamber. 
     According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a process chamber provided with a heater; a load lock chamber; a transfer chamber provided between the process chamber and the load lock chamber and including a first region provided adjacent to the process chamber and a second region provided more adjacent to the load lock chamber than the first region and whose temperature is lower than a temperature of the first region; a detector capable of detecting an amount of moisture in the transfer chamber; and an inert gas supplier capable of supplying an inert gas toward the second region in the transfer chamber. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a horizontal cross-section of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a vertical cross-section of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment described herein. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  schematically illustrate a distributor of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 4  schematically illustrates a vertical cross-section of a reactor (RC) of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 5  schematically illustrates a gas supplier of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 6  schematically illustrates a configuration of a controller of the substrate processing apparatus and related components of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 7  schematically illustrates a horizontal cross-section of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 8  schematically illustrates a vertical cross-section of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 9  schematically illustrates a horizontal cross-section of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 10  schematically illustrates a horizontal cross-section of a substrate processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 11  schematically illustrates a vertical cross-section of the substrate processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment described herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments 
     Hereinafter, one or more embodiments (also simply referred to as “embodiments”) according to the technique of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. 
     First Embodiment 
     Hereinafter, a first embodiment according to the technique of the present disclosure will be described. 
     (1) Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus 
     A substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 6 . The drawings used in the following descriptions are all schematic. For example, a relationship between dimensions of each component and a ratio of each component shown in the drawings may not always match the actual ones. Further, even between the drawings, the relationship between the dimensions of each component and the ratio of each component may not always match. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  schematically illustrate the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and  FIGS. 3A and 3B  schematically illustrate a distributor of an inert gas supplier provided in a transfer chamber of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.  FIGS. 4 and 5  schematically illustrate a reactor (RC) of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.  FIG. 6  schematically illustrates a configuration of a controller of the substrate processing apparatus and related components of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Each configuration will be described below in detail. 
     The configuration of the substrate processing apparatus will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a horizontal cross-section of an exemplary configuration of the substrate processing apparatus.  FIG. 2  schematically illustrates a vertical cross-section of the exemplary configuration of the substrate processing apparatus taken along the line α-α′ in  FIG. 1 . 
     A substrate processing apparatus  200  according to the first embodiment is configured to process a plurality of substrates including a substrate  100 . Hereinafter, the plurality of the substrates including the substrate  100  may also be simply referred to as substrates  100 . The substrate processing apparatus  200  includes an I/O stage (input/output stage)  110 , an atmospheric transfer chamber  120 , a load lock chamber  130 , a vacuum transfer chamber  140  and a plurality of process modules (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “PMs”) such as process modules PM 1 , PM 2 , PM 3  and PM 4 . Hereinafter, one of the process modules PM 1 , PM 2 , PM 3  and PM 4  may be referred to as a “process module PM”, and the process modules PM 1 , PM 2 , PM 3  and PM 4  may be collectively referred to as “process modules PMs”. 
     &lt;Atmospheric Transfer Chamber and I/O Stage&gt; 
     The I/O stage (also referred to as a “loading port shelf”)  110  is provided in front of the substrate processing apparatus  200 . The I/O stage  110  is configured such that a plurality of pods including a pod  111  can be placed on the I/O stage  110 . Hereinafter, the plurality of the pods including the pod  111  may also be simply referred to as pods  111 . The pod  111  is used as a carrier for transferring the substrate (wafer)  100  such as a silicon (Si) substrate. 
     The substrates  100  managed on a lot basis can be stored in the pod  111 . For example, n substrates (n is a natural number) are stored in the pod  111  as the substrates  100 . 
     A cap  112  is installed at the pod  111 . The cap  112  is opened or closed by a pod opener  121 . The pod opener  121  is configured to open and close the cap  112  of the pod  111  placed on the I/O stage  110 . When the pod opener  121  opens a substrate entrance (not shown) of the pod  111 , the substrates  100  may be loaded into or unloaded out of the pod  111 . The pod  111  is provided to or discharged from the I/O stage  110  by an automated material handling systems (AMHS) (not shown). 
     The I/O stage  110  is provided adjacent to the atmospheric transfer chamber  120 . The load lock chamber  130 , which will be described later, is connected to a side of the atmospheric transfer chamber  120  other than a side at which the I/O stage  110  is provided. An atmospheric transfer robot  122  capable of transferring the substrates  100  is provided in the atmospheric transfer chamber  120 . 
     A communication hole  128  configured to transfer the substrates  100  into or out of the atmospheric transfer chamber  120  and the pod opener  121  are provided at a front side of a housing  127  of the atmospheric transfer chamber  120 . A communication hole  129  configured to transfer the substrates  100  into or out of the load lock chamber  130  is provided at a rear side of the housing  127  of the atmospheric transfer chamber  120 . When the communication hole  129  is opened by a gate valve  133 , the substrates  100  may be loaded into the load lock chamber  130  or unloaded out of the load lock chamber  130 . 
     &lt;Load Lock Chamber&gt; 
     The load lock chamber  130  is provided adjacent to the atmospheric transfer chamber  120 . The vacuum transfer chamber  140 , which will be described later, is provided at a side of a housing  131  constituting the load lock chamber  130  other than a side of the housing  131  that is adjacent to the atmospheric transfer chamber  120 . 
     A substrate mounting table  136  provided with at least two placing surfaces  135  is provided in the load lock chamber  130 . A distance between the two placing surfaces  135  may be set based on a distance between end effectors of an arm of a robot  170  which will be described later. 
     &lt;Vacuum Transfer Chamber&gt; 
     The substrate processing apparatus  200  includes the vacuum transfer chamber (also referred to as a “transfer module”)  140 , that is, a transfer space in which the substrates  100  are transferred under a negative pressure. The vacuum transfer chamber  140  may also be simply referred to as a “transfer chamber  140 ”. For example, a housing  141  constituting the vacuum transfer chamber  140  is pentagonal when viewed from above. The load lock chamber  130  and the process modules PM 1 , PM 2 , PM 3  and PM 4  where the substrates  100  are processed are connected to respective sides of the housing  141  of a pentagonal shape. The robot  170  capable of transferring the substrates  100  under the negative pressure is provided at approximately at a center of the vacuum transfer chamber  140  with a flange  144  as a base. The robot  170  serves as a transfer device. 
     The load lock chamber  130  and the vacuum transfer chamber  140  are communicated with each other through a communication hole  142 . The communication hole  142  is opened or closed by a gate valve  134 . 
     The robot  170  provided in the vacuum transfer chamber  140  may be elevated and lowered by an elevator  145  while maintaining the vacuum transfer chamber  140  airtight by the flange  144 . The elevator  145  is configured to elevate and lower two arms including an arm  172  of the robot  170 . In  FIG. 2 , for convenience of explanation, the end effectors of the arm  172  are illustrated, and components such as a link structure between the end effectors and the flange  144  are omitted. 
     The reactor (hereinafter, also referred to as an “RC”) are provided in each of the process modules PM 1 , PM 2 , PM 3  and PM 4  adjacent to the vacuum transfer chamber  140 . Specifically, reactors RC 1  and RC 2  are provided in the process module PM 1 . Reactors RC 3  and RC 4  are provided in the process module PM 2 . Reactors RC 5  and RC 6  are provided in the process module PM 3 . Reactors RC 7  and RC 8  are provided in the process module PM 4 . Hereinafter, one of the reactors RC 1  through RC 8  may be referred to as a “reactor RC”, and the reactors RC 1  through RC 8  may be collectively referred to as “reactors RCs”. 
     A communication hole such as a communication hole  148  shown in  FIG. 4  is provided in each of sidewalls of the housing  141  facing the reactors (RCs) RC 1  through RC 8 , respectively. For example, a communication hole  148 - 5  is provided in the sidewall of the housing  141  facing the reactor RC 5  as shown in  FIG. 2 . A gate valve such as a gate valve  149  shown in  FIG. 4  is provided in each of the reactors (RCs) RC 1  through RC 8 . For example, a gate valve  149 - 5  is provided in the sidewall of the housing  141  facing the reactor RC 5  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Hereinafter, the communication hole including the communication hole  148  may also be collectively or individually referred to as the communication hole  148 , and the gate valve including the gate valve  149  may also be collectively or individually referred to as the gate valve  149 . Since the configurations of the reactors RC 1  through RC 4  and RC 6  through RC 8  are the same as that of the reactor RC 5 , the detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     An arm controller  171  capable of controlling an elevating operation and a rotating operation of the arm  172  is embedded in the elevator  145 . The arm controller  171  mainly includes a support shaft  171   a  configured to support a shaft of the arm  172  and an actuator  171   b  configured to elevate or rotate the support shaft  171   a.    
     The actuator  171   b  may include an elevator  171   c  such as a motor configured to elevate and lower the support shaft  171   a  and a rotator  171   d  such as a gear configured to rotate the support shaft  171   a . The elevator  145  may further include an instruction controller  171   e  which is a part of the arm controller  171  and configured to control the actuator  171   b  to move the support shaft  171   a  up and down or to rotate the support shaft  171   a . The instruction controller  171   e  may be electrically connected to a controller  400  described later. The actuator  171   b  may be controlled by the instruction controller  171   e  based on an instruction from the controller  400 . 
     The arm  172  can be rotated and stretched about the shaft. As described above, a shaft of the robot  170  is arranged approximately at a center of the housing  141 . However, a distance from a center of the shaft to a substrate mounting table  212  (described later) of each of the reactors (RCs) may differ due to a structural restriction. For example, in  FIG. 1 , a distance L 1  from the center of the shaft of the robot  170  to the substrate mounting table  212  of the reactor RC 8  (or RC 7 ) is shorter than a distance L 2  from the center of the shaft of the robot  170  to the substrate mounting table  212  of the reactor RC 4  (or RC 3 ). 
     By rotating and stretching the robot  170 , the substrate  100  can be transferred into or out of the reactors RCs. As described above, distances between each of the reactors RCs and the shaft of the robot  170  are different for each of the reactors RCs. The robot  170  can transfer the substrate  100  to the reactor RC, for example, in accordance with an instruction from the controller  400 . 
     Subsequently, an exhauster (which is an exhaust system)  160  will be described. The exhauster  160  is provided below the housing  141 . Specifically, for example, an exhaust pipe  161  is connected to a bottom wall of the housing  141 . An APC (Automatic Pressure Controller)  162  is provided at the exhaust pipe  161 . The APC  162  serves as a pressure controller (pressure regulator) capable of controlling an inner atmosphere of the housing  141  to a predetermined pressure. The APC  162  includes a valve body (not shown) whose opening degree can be adjusted. The APC  162  can adjust the conductance of the exhaust pipe  161  in accordance with an instruction from the controller  400 . Further, a valve  163  is provided at the exhaust pipe  161 . The exhaust pipe  161 , the APC  162  and the valve  163  may be collectively referred to as a “transfer chamber exhauster”. 
     Further, a dry pump DP (not shown) is provided at a downstream side of the exhaust pipe  161 . The dry pump is capable of exhausting the inner atmosphere of the housing  141  through the exhaust pipe  161 . 
     A moisture detector  146  is provided in the housing  141  constituting the vacuum transfer chamber  140 . The moisture detector  146  is electrically connected to the controller  400 . The moisture detector  146  is capable of detecting an amount of moisture (water vapor) in the vacuum transfer chamber  140  and transmitting the detected amount of the moisture to the controller  400 . The moisture detector  146  may also be simply referred to as a “detector”. 
     For the reason described later, the moisture detector  146  is provided at a location at which the amount of the moisture in the vacuum transfer chamber  140  can be detected. In the present specification, the “location at which the amount of the moisture in the vacuum transfer chamber  140  can be detected” may refer to a low temperature location, for example, the vicinity of a ceiling  147  of the housing  141  and the vicinity of a side wall  141   a  (described later) provided adjacent to the load lock chamber  130 . 
     A window  151  is provided on the ceiling  147 . The window  151  is used to confirm whether or not an operation of the robot  170  is normal. An O-ring  152  serving as a seal is arranged between the window  151  and a wall  147   a  constituting the ceiling  147 . For example The O-ring  152  is made of a material such as rubber. As a result, the inner atmosphere of the vacuum transfer chamber  140  is sealed. A lid  153  is provided on the window  151 . 
     A flow path  154  configured to flow cooling water or a chiller (medium) capable of adjusting a temperature of the housing  141  may be provided at the housing  141 . With such a structure, even when the housing  141  is affected by a heater  213  (see  FIG. 4 ) in the reactor RC, it is possible to suppress an excessive temperature elevation. 
     An inert gas supplier (which is an inert gas supply system)  180  capable of supplying an inert gas to the low temperature location described later is provided at the housing  141 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the inert gas supplier  180  may be provided on the ceiling  147 . The inert gas supplier  180  includes an inert gas supply pipe  181 . An inert gas supply source  182 , a mass flow controller (MFC)  183  serving as a flow rate controller (flow rate control structure) and a valve  184  serving as an opening/closing valve are sequentially provided in order at the inert gas supply pipe  181  from an upstream side toward a downstream side of the inert gas supply pipe  181 . A heater  185  capable of heating the inert gas supplied in the inert gas supply pipe  181  may be further provided. 
     A distributor  186  is provided at a tip (front end) of the inert gas supply pipe  181 . The distributor  186  is configured to disperse and supply the inert gas into the housing  141 . 
     The inert gas supplier  180  is constituted mainly by the inert gas supply pipe  181 , the MFC  183 , the valve  184  and the distributor  186 . The inert gas supplier  180  may further include the heater  185 . Since the inert gas supplier  180  is configured to supply the inert gas to the transfer chamber  140 , the inert gas supplier  180  may also be referred to as a “transfer chamber inert gas supplier”. 
     Subsequently, the low temperature location and a high temperature location will be described. For example, the high temperature location may refer to walls such as a wall  141   b  provided adjacent to the reactor RC 5  shown in  FIG. 2 . When processing the substrates  100 , the substrates  100  are heated by heaters such as the heater  213  in the reactor RC shown in  FIG. 4 . Therefore, the walls adjacent to the reactors RC such as the wall  141   b  are affected by the heaters such as the heater  213 , and temperatures of the walls are higher than that of the side wall (also simply referred to as a wall)  141   a  provided adjacent to the load lock chamber  130 . In the present specification, the high temperature location may refer to a location that becomes hot due to an influence of the heaters of the reactors RCs such as the heater  213 . A region including the high temperature location may also be referred to as a “high temperature region” or a “first region”. 
     In the present specification, the low temperature location may refer to a location whose temperature is lower than that of the high temperature location. A region including the low temperature location may also be referred to as a “low temperature region” or a “second region”. For example, the low temperature location may refer to the ceiling  147  or the wall  141   a  of the transfer chamber  140  provided with the communication hole  142 , and the low temperature region may refer to the region in which the ceiling  147  or the wall  141   a  of the transfer chamber  140  is provided. A region in which the O-ring  152  is arranged may also be referred to as the low temperature region. Since the components described above such as the ceiling  147 , the wall  141   a  and the O-ring  152  are located far from the reactors RCs, they are not easily affected by the heaters provided in the reactors RCs such as the heater  213 . Therefore, temperatures of the components described above are lower than that of the wall  141   b . Further, since an outer shell of the low temperature location such as the ceiling  147  is exposed to an outer atmosphere, a temperature of the outer shell of the low temperature location may become close to the room temperature at which the moisture easily adheres. That is, the moisture may easily adhere to the outer shell of the low temperature location. 
     It can be said that the high temperature location is provided between the heaters in the reactors RCs (such as the heater  213 ) and the low temperature location. It can be said that the low temperature location is provided between the high temperature location and the load lock chamber  130 . According to the present embodiment, the “low temperature” may refer to a temperature (for example, less than 100° C.) low enough to allow the moisture to adhere in the transfer chamber  140 . 
     For example, a central portion of the ceiling  147  in the horizontal direction is separated from each of the reactors RCs. Therefore, the central portion of the ceiling  147  is not easily affected by the heat of the heaters such as the heater  213 . Similarly, the vicinity of the communication hole  142  is not easily affected by the heat of the heaters such as the heater  213 . Therefore, temperatures of the central portion of the ceiling  147  and the vicinity of the communication hole  142  are low. 
     Further, when the chiller is supplied, the housing  141  is maintained at a temperature (for example, the room temperature) at which the housing  141  can be operated by, for example, a maintenance personnel. Therefore, since the temperature of the housing  141  is stable and low, the moisture is more likely to adhere to the low temperature location. 
     There is a problem that an amount of the moisture increases in such a low temperature location. The moisture adhering to the low temperature location may adhere to the substrate  100 , particularly the processed substrate  100  heated by a substrate processing. Thereby, a natural oxide film may be formed on the substrate  100 , and the substrate  100  may be unintentionally modified by components (such as hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O)) of the moisture. 
     As described above, the distance between each of the reactors RCs and the shaft of the robot  170  is different for each of the reactors RCs. Then, transfer distances of the substrates  100  may also be different for each of the substrates  100 . Therefore, a state of each of the substrates  100  (for example, the formation of the natural oxide film and the unintended modification of a film formed on each of the substrates  100 ) may be different for each of the substrates  100  depending on the reactor RC in which the substrate  100  is processed. Therefore, a yield may be reduced. 
     In order to address the problem described above, the housing  141  may be heated to remove the moisture. However, when the housing  141  is heated, for example, the O-ring  152  in the ceiling  147  and components constituting the robot  170  may be deteriorated by heating the housing  141 . Therefore, it is not preferable to heat the housing  141  (that is, the transfer chamber  140 ). 
     Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the moisture is removed while maintaining the temperature of the low temperature location low. In order to remove the moisture while maintaining the temperature of the low temperature location low, the inert gas is locally supplied to the low temperature location. Specifically, the distributor  186  is used to locally supply the inert gas to the low temperature location. 
     Subsequently, a detailed structure of the distributor  186  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 3A and 3B .  FIG. 3A  schematically illustrates the distributor  186  when viewed from the robot  170  toward the wall  141   b , and  FIG. 3B  schematically illustrates a cross-section of the distributor  186  taken along the line A-A′ in  FIG. 3A . 
     The distributor  186  is constituted mainly by a main body  186   a  of a cylindrical shape. The inert gas supply pipe  181  is connected to the main body  186   a . A hole  186   b  serving as an inert gas supply hole is provided on a side of the main body  186   a  in the direction of the robot  170 . A hole  186   c  serving as an inert gas supply hole may be further provided below the main body  186   a.    
     A height of the hole  186   b  in a height direction (vertical direction) is set such that the inert gas discharged (ejected) through the hole  186   b  may collide with the ceiling  147 . For example, the hole  186   b  is provided at a height position between the ceiling  147  and the arm  172  of the robot  170 . The arm  172  of the robot  170  is provided higher than the other arms of the robot  170 . 
     The hole  186   b  may be open in a direction in which the inert gas collides with an inner wall (that is, the wall  147   a ) of the ceiling  147 . By supplying the inert gas toward the ceiling  147 , the moisture adhering to the wall  147   a  of the ceiling  147  collides with the inert gas, so that the moisture can be physically peeled off. Therefore, it is possible to remove the moisture adhering to the wall  147   a  of the ceiling  147  while maintaining the temperature of the wall  147   a  or the robot  170  low. 
     A width of the hole  186   b  is set such that, for example, the inert gas can be supplied to the O-ring  152  in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the width of the hole  186   b  is set to be equal to or greater than a diameter of the O-ring  152 . Thereby, the moisture adhering to the periphery of the O-ring  152  can collide with the inert gas, and the moisture can be physically peeled off. Therefore, it is possible to remove the moisture without thermally deforming the O-ring  152 . The present embodiment is described by way of an example in which the hole  186   b  is configured as a single slit shape. However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the hole  186   b  may be configured as a plurality of holes. When the hole  186   b  is configured as the plurality of the holes, a distance between outermost holes among the plurality of the hole is set to be equal to or greater than the diameter of the O-ring  152 . 
     The hole  186   c  is provided below the main body  186   a . The inert gas supplied through the hole  186   c  is supplied toward the wall  141   a  adjacent to the load lock chamber  130 . The reason for supplying the inert gas to the wall  141   a  will be described below. The unprocessed substrates  100  stored in the pod  111  may be transferred to various places in a factory where the substrate processing apparatus  200  is installed. Therefore, the moisture may adhere to the unprocessed substrates  100  before the unprocessed substrates  100  are transferred to the substrate processing apparatus  200 . The moisture adhering to the unprocessed substrates  100  may be diffused into the vacuum transfer chamber  140  when the unprocessed substrates  100  are transferred to the vacuum transfer chamber  140  from the load lock chamber  130 . In particular, the moisture may tend to adhere to the wall  141   a  arranged in the vicinity of the communication hole  142 . 
     On the other hand, by supplying the inert gas supplied through the hole  186   c  toward the wall  141   a , the moisture adhering to the wall  141   a  may collide with the inert gas, and the moisture can be physically peeled off. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently remove a large amount of the moisture adhering to the wall  147   a  while maintaining the temperature of the wall  147   a  or the robot  170  low. 
     Since the moisture adhering to the unprocessed substrates  100  passing through the load lock chamber  130  is diffused around the communication hole  142 , it is preferable that a width of the hole  186   c  parallel to the wall  141   a  is set to be equal to or greater than a width of the communication hole  142 . Therefore, by setting the width of the hole  186   c  equal to the width of the communication hole  142 , it is possible to reliably supply the inert gas to the moisture adhering to a portion of the wall  141   a  around the communication hole  142 . Further, by setting the width of the hole  186   c  greater than the width of the communication hole  142 , it is possible to reliably supply the inert gas to the moisture adhering to a side portion of the wall  141   a  around a side portion of the communication hole  142 . 
     A maximum width of the hole  186   c  in the direction parallel to the wall  141   a  is set to be a distance between the facing walls of the transfer chamber  140  adjacent to the wall  141   a . It is more preferable that the maximum width of the hole  186   c  is set to be equal to a width of the wall  141   a.    
     It is more preferable that the inert gas supplied through the distributor  186  is heated by the heater  185 . By heating the inert gas by the heater  185 , it is possible to increase an efficiency of removing the moisture. When the inert gas is supplied, the supply of the inert gas and the stop of the supply of the inert gas may be alternately and repeatedly performed. By repeatedly colliding the moisture with the inert gas, the moisture can be physically removed more efficiently. 
     &lt;Process Module&gt; 
     Subsequently, the process modules PM will be described mainly on the reactors RCs. Since the configurations of the process modules PM 1  through PM 4  are the same, the process module PM serving as one of the process modules PM 1  through PM 4  will be described below. Similarly, since the configurations of the reactors RC 1  through RC 8  are the same, the reactor RC serving as one of the reactors RC 1  through RC 8  will be described below. 
     A partition wall is provided between the two reactors RCs provided in the process module PM. The partition wall is configured to prevent mixing of inner atmospheres of process spaces  205  of the two reactors RCs. That is, the inner atmospheres of the process spaces  205  are maintained independently. 
     The reactor RC will be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Since the configurations of the two reactors RCs provided in the process module are the same, the reactor RC serving as one of the two reactors RCs will be described below. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the reactor RC includes a vessel  202 . For example, the vessel  202  includes a flat and sealed vessel whose horizontal cross-section is circular. The vessel  202  is made of a metal material such as aluminum (Al) and stainless steel (SUS) or quartz. A process chamber  201  defining the process space  205  where the substrate  100  such as a silicon wafer is processed and a transfer chamber  206  defining a transfer space through which the substrate  100  is transferred into or out of the process space  205  are provided in the vessel  202 . The vessel  202  is constituted by an upper vessel  202   a  and a lower vessel  202   b . A partition plate  208  is provided between the upper vessel  202   a  and the lower vessel  202   b.    
     The communication hole  148  is provided adjacent to the gate valve  149  at a side surface of the lower vessel  202   b . The substrate  100  is transferred between the transfer chamber  206  and the vacuum transfer chamber  140  through the communication hole  148 . Lift pins  207  are provided at a bottom of the lower vessel  202   b.    
     A substrate support  210  configured to support the substrate  100  is provided in the process space  205 . The substrate support  210  mainly includes: the substrate mounting table  212  provided with a substrate placing surface  211  on which the substrate  100  is placed; and the heater  213  which is a heating structure embedded in the substrate mounting table  212 . Through-holes  214  through which the lift pins  207  penetrate are provided at positions of the substrate mounting table  212  corresponding to the lift pins  207 . 
     Wiring  222  configured to supply the electric power to the heater  213  is connected to the heater  213 . The wiring  222  is connected to a heater controller  223 . The heater controller  223  is electrically connected to the controller  400 . The controller  400  is configured to control the heater controller  223  to operate the heater  213 . 
     The substrate mounting table  212  is supported by a shaft  217 . The shaft  217  penetrates the bottom of the vessel  202 , and is connected to an elevator  218  at the outside of the vessel  202 . 
     The substrate  100  placed on the substrate placing surface  211  of the substrate mounting table  212  may be elevated or lowered by operating the elevator  218  by elevating and lowering the shaft  217  and the substrate mounting table  212 . 
     For example, the process chamber  201  is constituted by a buffer structure  230  described later and the substrate mounting table  212 . The process chamber  201  may be configured by another structure as long as the process space  205  in which the substrate  100  is processed can be secured. 
     When the substrate  100  is transferred, the substrate mounting table  212  is lowered until the substrate placing surface  211  faces the communication hole  148 , that is, until a transfer position P 0  is reached. When the substrate  100  is processed, the substrate mounting table  212  is elevated until the substrate  100  reaches a processing position in the process space  205  as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     The buffer structure  230  configure to diffuse a gas is provided in an upper portion (upstream side) of the process space  205 . The buffer structure  230  is constituted mainly by a lid  231 . A first gas supplier  240  and a second gas supplier  250 , which will be described later, are connected to the lid  231  so as to communicate with a gas introduction hole  231   a  provided in the lid  231 . Although the gas introduction hole  231   a  configured as a single hole is illustrated in  FIG. 4 , holes serving as the gas introduction hole  231   a  may be provided with respect to gas suppliers such as the first gas supplier  240  and the second gas supplier  250 , respectively. 
     &lt;Exhauster&gt; 
     Subsequently, an exhauster (which is an exhaust system)  271  will be described. An exhaust pipe  272  configured to communicate with the process space  205  is provided. The exhaust pipe  272  is connected to the upper vessel  202   a  so as to communicate with the process space  205 . An APC  273  serving as a pressure controller (pressure regulator) is provided at the exhaust pipe  272 . The APC  273  is capable of controlling an inner pressure of the process space  205  to a predetermined pressure. 
     The APC  273  includes a valve body (not shown) whose opening degree can be adjusted. The APC  273  can adjust the conductance of the exhaust pipe  272  in accordance with an instruction from the controller  400 . Further, a valve  274  is provided at the exhaust pipe  272  at an upstream side of the APC  273 . The exhaust pipe  272 , the APC  273  and the valve  274  may be collectively referred to as the exhauster  271 . 
     Further, a dry pump DP  275  is provided at a downstream side of the exhaust pipe  272 . The dry pump  275  is capable of exhausting the inner atmosphere of the process space  205  through the exhaust pipe  272 . 
     &lt;Gas Supplier&gt; 
     Subsequently, a gas supplier (which is a gas supply system) capable of supplying a gas to the process chamber  201  will be described with reference to  FIG. 5 . The gas supplier described with reference to  FIG. 5  may also be referred to as a “process chamber gas supplier” in order to distinguish it from the transfer chamber inert gas supplier described above. 
     The first gas supplier (which is a first gas supply system)  240  will be described. A first gas supply source  242 , a mass flow controller (MFC)  243  serving as a flow rate controller (flow rate control structure) and a valve  244  serving as an opening/closing valve are sequentially provided in order at a first gas supply pipe  241  from an upstream side toward a downstream side of the first gas supply pipe  241 . 
     The first gas supply source  242  is a source of a first gas (also referred to as a “first element-containing gas”) containing the first element. The first element-containing gas serves as a source gas, which is one of process gases. In the present embodiment, for example, the first element includes silicon (Si). That is, for example, the first element-containing gas includes a silicon-containing gas. Specifically, a monosilane (SiH 4 ) gas may be used as the silicon-containing gas. 
     The first gas supplier  240  is constituted mainly by the first gas supply pipe  241 , the MFC  243  and the valve  244 . 
     Subsequently, the second gas supplier (which is a second gas supply system)  250  will be described. A second gas supply source  252 , a mass flow controller (MFC)  253  serving as a flow rate controller (flow rate control structure) and a valve  254  serving as an opening/closing valve are sequentially provided in order at a second gas supply pipe  251  from an upstream side toward a downstream side of the second gas supply pipe  251 . 
     The second gas supply source  252  is a source of a second gas (also referred to as a “second element-containing gas”) containing the second element. The second element-containing gas is one of the process gases. The second element-containing gas may serve as a reactive gas or a modifying gas. 
     In the present embodiment, the second element-containing gas contains the second element different from the first element. For example, the second element includes an element selected from the group of oxygen (O), nitrogen (N) and carbon (C). The present embodiment will be described by way of an example in which an oxygen-containing gas is used as the second element-containing gas. Specifically, oxygen gas ( 02  gas) may be used as the oxygen-containing gas. 
     The second gas supplier  250  is constituted mainly by the second gas supply pipe  251 , the MFC  253  and the valve  254 . 
     When a film is formed on the substrate  100  by using the first gas alone, the second gas supplier  250  may not provided in the substrate processing apparatus  200 . 
     &lt;Controller&gt; 
     Subsequently, the controller  400  will be described with reference to  FIG. 6 . The substrate processing apparatus  200  includes the controller  400  configured to control operations of components constituting the substrate processing apparatus  200 . 
     The controller  400 , which is a control apparatus (control structure) may be embodied by a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit)  401 , a RAM (Random Access Memory)  402 , a memory  403  serving as a storage and an I/O port (input/output port)  404 . The RAM  402 , the memory  403  and the I/O port  404  may exchange data with the CPU  401  via an internal bus  405 . The transmission/reception of the data in the substrate processing apparatus  200  may be performed by an instruction from a transmission/reception instruction controller  406 , which is also one of functions of the CPU  401 . 
     The CPU  401  may further include a determination controller  407 . The determination controller  407  is capable of analyzing a relationship between a table stored in the memory  403  and the amount of the moisture measured by the moisture detector  146 . 
     A network transmitter/receiver  283  connected to a host apparatus  270  via a network is provided. For example, the network transmitter/receiver  283  is capable of receiving information regarding a processing history and a processing schedule of the substrate  100  in the lot. 
     The memory  403  may be embodied by a component such as a flash memory and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive). For example, a recipe  409  such as a process recipe in which information such as the sequences and the conditions of the substrate processing described later is stored are readably stored in the memory  403  and a control program  410  for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus  200  is stored may be readably stored in the memory  403 . The memory  403  may further include a moisture information memory  411  capable of recording the data detected by the moisture detector  146  and reading temperature data thereof. 
     The process recipe is a program that is executed by the controller  400  to obtain a predetermined result by performing the sequences of the substrate processing described later. Hereinafter, the process recipe and the control program may be collectively or individually referred to simply as a “program.” In the present specification, the term “program” may refer to the process recipe alone, may refer to the control program alone, or may refer to both of the process recipe and the control program. The RAM  402  serves as a memory area (work area) in which the program or the data read by the CPU  401  are temporarily stored. 
     The I/O port  404  is electrically connected to the components of the process modules PMs described above such as the gate valve  149 , the elevator  218 , the pressure regulators, the pumps and the heater controller  223 . 
     The CPU  401  is configured to read and execute the control program from the memory  403  and read the process recipe in accordance with an instruction such as an operation command inputted from an input/output device  281 . The CPU  401  is configured to control various operations in accordance with the process recipe such as an opening and closing operation of the gate valve  149 , an elevating and lowering operation of the elevator  218 , an operation of the moisture detector  146 , an operation of the heater controller  223 , an ON/OFF control operation of each pump, a flow rate adjusting operation of each MFC described above and an operation of each valve described above. 
     For example, the controller  400  according to the present embodiment may be embodied by preparing an external memory  282  (for example, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory) storing the program described above and installing the program onto a computer using the external memory  282 . The method of providing the program to the computer is not limited to the external memory  282 . For example, the program may be directly provided to the computer by a communication means such as the Internet and a dedicated line instead of the external memory  282 . The memory  403  and the external memory  282  may be embodied by a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium. Hereinafter, the memory  403  and the external memory  282  are collectively or individually referred to as a recording medium. In the present specification, the term “recording medium” may refer to the memory  403  alone, may refer to the external memory  282  alone, or may refer to both of the memory  403  and the external memory  282 . 
     (2) Substrate Processing 
     Hereinafter, as an example of the substrate processing performed by the substrate processing apparatus  200 , a film processing step (also referred to as a film-forming process) of forming a film on the substrate  100  by using the substrate processing apparatus  200  described above and a maintenance step will be described. In the following description, the controller  400  controls the operations of the components constituting the substrate processing apparatus  200 . 
     The substrate processing will be described by way of an example in which the vacuum transfer chamber  140  and the reactor RC among the reactors RCs are used. 
     &lt;Film Processing Step&gt; 
     A substrate transfer step, which is a part of one of the film processing step, will be described. The atmospheric transfer robot  122  transfers the substrate  100  out of the pod  111 . Then, the atmospheric transfer robot  122  transfers the substrate  100  to the load lock chamber  130 . When transferring the substrate  100  to the load lock chamber  130 , if there is the processed substrate  100  in the load lock chamber  130 , the atmospheric transfer robot  122  transfers the processed substrate  100  to the pod  111 . 
     An inner atmosphere (inner pressure) of the load lock chamber  130  is adjusted to a negative pressure. When the inner pressure of the load lock chamber  130  is adjusted to the same pressure level as the inner pressure of the vacuum transfer chamber  140 , the gate valve  134  is opened. The robot  170  picks up the unprocessed substrates  100  in the load lock chamber  130  and transfers it to each of the reactors RCs. When transferring the unprocessed substrates  100  to each of the reactors RCs, the moisture adhering to the unprocessed substrates  100  may be diffused into the vacuum transfer chamber  140 . 
     After processing the substrates  100  for a predetermined time in each of the reactors RCs, the gate valve  149  is opened. Then, the robot  170  replaces the processed substrate  100  in the reactor RC with the unprocessed substrate  100  supported by the robot  170 , and transfers (loads) the unprocessed substrate  100  into the reactor RC. 
     The robot  170  transfers (loads) the processed substrate  100  into the load lock chamber  130 . 
     While performing the operations described above, the moisture detector  146  detects the amount of the moisture in the vacuum transfer chamber  140 . When the amount of the moisture is equal to or greater a predetermined value, the maintenance step is performed before the next substrate are processed or before the substrates of the next lot are processed. When the amount of the moisture is less than the predetermined value, the substrates  100  are continuously processed. 
     Subsequently, the operation in the reactor RC when processing the substrate  100  will be described. 
     The substrate mounting table  212  is lowered to a position of transferring the substrate  100  (that is, the transfer position P 0 ) such that the lift pins  207  penetrate through the through-holes  214  of the substrate mounting table  212 . As a result, the lift pins  207  protrude from the surface of the substrate mounting table  212  by a predetermined height. In parallel with the operation of lowering the substrate mounting table  212 , an inner atmosphere of the transfer chamber  206  is exhausted such that an inner pressure of the transfer chamber  206  is the same as that of the vacuum transfer chamber  140  provided adjacently or lower than that of the vacuum transfer chamber  140  provided adjacently. 
     Subsequently, the gate valve  149  is opened to communicate the transfer chamber  206  with the vacuum transfer chamber  140  provided adjacently. Then, the robot  170  loads the substrate  100  from the vacuum transfer chamber  140  into the transfer chamber  206  and places the substrate  100  on the lift pins  207 . 
     After the substrate  100  is placed on the lift pins  207 , the substrate mounting table  212  is elevated until the substrate  100  is placed on the substrate placing surface  211 . Then, the substrate mounting table  212  is further elevated until the substrate  100  reaches the processing position as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     When the substrate  100  is being placed on the substrate placing surface  211 , the electric power is supplied to the heater  213  such that a temperature of the surface of the substrate  100  is adjusted to a predetermined temperature. For example, the temperature of the surface of the substrate  100  is adjusted to the predetermined temperature equal to or greater than the room temperature and equal to or less than 800° C., preferably, equal to or greater than the room temperature and equal to or less than 500° C. When heating the substrate  100  to the predetermined temperature, the wall  141   b  is also heated. 
     Subsequently, a process gas supply step, which is a part of one of the film processing step, will be described. When the substrate  100  is heated and reaches a desired temperature, the first gas and the second gas are supplied to the process chamber  201 . As a method of supplying the first gas and the second gas, for example, the first gas and the second gas are supplied simultaneously or supplied alternately to form a desired film. In the present embodiment, for example, the desired film may refer to a silicon oxide film. 
     When the desired film is formed on the substrate  100 , the substrate  100  is transferred (unloaded) out of the process chamber  201  in the order reverse to that of the loading of the substrate  100  described above. Since the amount of the moisture in the transfer chamber  140  is less than predetermined value described above, it is possible to suppress the reduction of the yield. 
     &lt;Maintenance Step&gt; 
     Subsequently, the maintenance step will be described. When the determination controller  407  determines that the amount of the moisture detected by the moisture detector  146  is equal to or greater than the predetermined value described above, the maintenance step is performed. The maintenance step is performed while the substrate  100  is not present in the transfer chamber  140  and the operation related to the processing of the substrate  100  is stopped. For example, operations such as an operation of supplying the gas to the process chamber  201  and an operation of transferring the substrate  100  are stopped when the maintenance step is performed. 
     In the maintenance step, the inert gas supplier  180  and the exhauster  160  are operated. By supplying the inert gas into the housing  141 , the moisture adhering to the low temperature location of the housing  141  is removed. According to the present embodiment, the moisture adhering to the wall  147   a  is removed by supplying the inert gas through the hole  186   b  of the distributor  186  toward the wall  147   a  which serves as the low temperature location. Specifically, the inert gas is supplied to the wall  147   a  of the ceiling  147 , which constitutes the low temperature region. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the supply of the inert gas is stopped. 
     When the distributor  186  is provided with the hole  186   c , the inert gas may be supplied in the direction of the wall  141   a  to remove the moisture adhering to the wall  141   a.    
     In the maintenance step, a supply amount of the inert gas may be controlled based on the information on the amount of the moisture detected by the moisture detector  146 . For example, when the determination controller  407  determines that the amount of the moisture detected by the moisture detector  146  is greater than the predetermined value, it is determined that the amount of the moisture adhering to the low temperature location is large, and the supply amount of the inert gas may be increased. Thereby, it is possible to reliably remove the moisture. 
     For example, when the determination controller  407  determines that the amount of the moisture detected by the moisture detector  146  is lower than the predetermined value, it is determined that the amount of the moisture adhering to the low temperature location is small, and the supply amount of the inert gas may be decreased. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the supply amount of the inert gas, and it is also possible to reduce the cost related to the amount of the inert gas used in the maintenance step. 
     When controlling the supply amount of the inert gas based on the information of the amount of the moisture detected by the moisture detector  146 , for example, the moisture information memory  411  may store in advance a table in which the amount of the moisture and the supply amount of the inert gas are related. In such a case, the determination controller  407  may determine the supply amount of the inert gas by comparing the amount of the moisture detected by the moisture detector  146  and the table stored in advance in the moisture information memory  411 . 
     According to the present embodiment, the supply of the inert gas is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed. However, the technique of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the supply of the inert gas may be stopped when it is determined that the amount of the moisture detected by the moisture detector  146  is equal to or less than the predetermined value. 
     Second Embodiment 
     Subsequently, a second embodiment according to the technique of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 7 and 8 . A structure of the distributor  186  of the second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the distributor  186  is further provided with a nozzle  187  which is an elongated structure. Hereinafter, the distributor  186  and the nozzle  187  of the second embodiment will be mainly described. Since other configurations of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. Further, the low temperature region (second region) in the present embodiment may refer to a central region of the wall  147   a , which will be described later. 
     The distributor  186  in the present embodiment is provided with the nozzle  187  instead of providing the hole  186   b  shown in  FIG. 3 . The nozzle  187  communicates with the inert gas supply pipe  181  via the distributor  186 . The nozzle  187  is provided with a hole  187   a  through which the inert gas is ejected (discharged). The hole  187   a  is open toward the wall  147   a . The nozzle  187  extends along the ceiling  147 . 
     The nozzle  187  is configured such that the inert gas can be supplied toward at least a central portion (that is, the central region) of the wall  147   a . As described above, the central portion of the wall  147   a  is separated from each of the reactors RCs. Therefore, a temperature of the central portion of the wall  147   a  tends to be lowered and the moisture may easily adhere to the central portion of the wall  147   a . However, with the configuration such as the nozzle  187  described above, it is possible to reliably supply the inert gas to the center of the wall  147   a . Thereby, it is possible to remove the moisture adhering to the central portion of the wall  147   a.    
     Third Embodiment 
     Subsequently, a third embodiment according to the technique of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIG. 9 . A structure of the distributor  186  of the third embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment. Opening directions of holes in the distributor  186  of the third embodiment are different from that in the distributor  186  of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the distributor  186  of the third embodiment will be mainly described. Since other configurations of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. Further, the low temperature region (second region) in the present embodiment may refer to a region constituted by walls interposed between a plurality of process chambers including the process chamber  201  or walls interposed between the load lock chamber  130  and the plurality of the process chambers including the process chamber  201  as described later. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the distributor  186  of the present embodiment is provided with holes  186   d ,  186   e ,  186   f ,  186   g  and  186   h . Subsequently, opening direction of the holes  186   d  through  186   h  will be described. The holes  186   d  through  186   h  are opened so that the inert gas can be supplied to the low temperature location such as a wall  191 , a wall  192 , a wall  193 , a wall  194  and a wall  195 , as described by arrows shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     Subsequently, the wall  191 , the wall  192 , the wall  193 , the wall  194  and the wall  195  will be described. As described above, the temperature of the housing  141  in the vicinity of the reactor RC is high due to the influence of the heater  213 . In particular, the temperature in the vicinity of the communication hole  148  configured to communicate with the reactor RC and the housing  141  or the temperature of the wall  141   b  at which the communication hole  148  is provided may be high. However, the wall  191 , the wall  192 , the wall  193 , the wall  194  and the wall  195 , which are provided between the adjacent reactors RCs or between the reactor RC and the load lock chamber  130  are less affected by the heater  213 . As a result, the temperatures of the walls  191  through  195  are lower than the temperature in the vicinity of the communication hole  148 . In particular, when the chiller or the cooling water is flowing through the housing  141 , the temperatures of the walls  191  through  195  are further lowered. Then, the moisture may easily adhere to the walls  191  through  195 . 
     Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a structure is provided such that the inert gas can be supplied to the walls interposed between the adjacent reactors RCs or between the reactor RC and the load lock chamber  130  (that is, the walls  191  through  195 ) so as to remove the moisture adhering to the walls  191  through  195 . 
     Specifically, for the wall  191  adjacent to the load lock chamber  130  and the reactor RC 1 , the hole  186   d  is configured to face the wall  191  so that the inert gas can be supplied to the wall  191 . For the wall  192  adjacent to the reactor RC 2  and the reactor RC 3 , the hole  186   e  is configured to face the wall  192  so that the inert gas can be supplied to the wall  192 . For the wall  193  adjacent to the reactor RC 4  and the reactor RC 5 , the hole  186   f  is configured to face the wall  193  so that the inert gas can be supplied to the wall  193 . For the wall  194  adjacent to the reactor RC 6  and the reactor RC 7 , the hole  186   g  is configured to face the wall  194  so that the inert gas can be supplied to the wall  194 . For the wall  195  adjacent to the load lock chamber  130  and the reactor RC 8 , the hole  186   h  is configured to face the wall  195  so that the inert gas can be supplied to the wall  195 . 
     In the distributor  186  according to the present embodiment, surfaces facing the wall  191 , the wall  192 , the wall  193 , the wall  194  and the wall  195  are provided so that the holes  186   d  through  186   h  can be configured, and each of the holes  186   d  through  186   h  is provided on the surfaces. With such a configuration, it is possible to reliably remove the moisture adhering to the walls interposed between the adjacent reactors RCs or between the reactor RC and the load lock chamber  130  (that is, the walls  191  through  195 ). Since the wall  191 , the wall  192 , the wall  193 , the wall  194  and wall  195  are arranged between the communication holes, the walls  191  through  195  may also be referred to as “walls between the communication holes”. 
     Fourth Embodiment 
     Subsequently, a fourth embodiment according to the technique of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 10 and 11 . A structure of the distributor  186  of the fourth embodiment is different from that of the third embodiment. In the present embodiment, the distributor  186  is further provided with a plurality of nozzles (for example, a nozzle  188 - 1 , a nozzle  188 - 2  and a nozzle  188 - 3 ) which is an elongated structure. The nozzles  188 - 1  through  188 - 3  may be collectively referred to as nozzles  188 . Hereinafter, the distributor  186  and the nozzles  188  of the fourth embodiment will be mainly described. Since other configurations of the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the third embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. Further, the low temperature region (second region) in the present embodiment may refer to the region constituted by the walls interposed between the plurality of the process chambers including the process chamber  201  or the walls interposed between the load lock chamber  130  and the plurality of the process chambers including the process chamber  201  as described later. 
     Similar to the third embodiment, the distributor  186  of the present embodiment is provided with the hole  186   d  and the hole  186   h . Similar to the third embodiment, the hole  186   d  is configured to supply the inert gas toward the wall  191 , and the hole  186   h  is configured to supply the inert gas toward the wall  195 . 
     Instead of the hole  186   e  of the third embodiment, the nozzle  188 - 1  is provided. Instead of the hole  186   f  of the third embodiment, the nozzle  188 - 2  is provided. Instead of the hole  186   g  of the third embodiment, the nozzle  188 - 3  is provided. As shown in  FIG. 11 , a plurality of holes  188   b  are provided at tips (front ends) of the nozzles  188 , respectively. The plurality of the holes  188   b  are arranged in the vicinity of the wall  192 , the wall  193  and the wall  194 . The plurality of the holes  188   b  are configured to supply the inert gas toward the wall  192 , the wall  193  and the wall  194 . 
     With such a configuration, it is possible to reliably transfer the inert gas to the wall  192 , the wall  193  and the wall  194 . Therefore, it is possible to more reliably remove the moisture adhering to the low temperature location between the adjacent reactors RCs. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 11 , in each nozzle  188 , a plurality of holes  188   a  may be provided between a hole among the plurality of the holes  188   b  and the distributor  186 . Similar to the hole  187   a  shown in  FIG. 8 , the plurality of the holes  188   a  are configured to supply the inert gas toward the wall  147   a . With such a configuration, it is possible to remove the moisture adhering to the wall  147   a.    
     According to the present embodiment, the inert gas is transferred (supplied) from the wall  192  to the wall  194  using the nozzles  188 . However, the technique of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the inert gas may be directly supplied to each space from the wall  147   a . For example, the ceiling  147  may be provided with an inert gas supply hole capable of supplying the inert gas in an upper portion of each space, and the inert gas may be supplied to each space from the inert gas supply hole. 
     Other Embodiments 
     While the technique is described in detail by way of the embodiments, the above-described technique is not limited thereto. The above-described technique may be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. 
     For example, the above-described embodiments are described by way of an example in which the film is formed by using the monosilane gas as the first element-containing gas (first gas) and using the  02  gas as the second element-containing gas (second gas) in the film-forming process performed by the substrate processing apparatus  200 . However, the above-described technique is not limited thereto. For example, the above-described technique may also be applied to film-forming processes wherein other gases are used to form different films. 
     While the embodiments are described by way of an example in which the film-forming process is performed using two types of gases, that is the first gas and the second gas, the above-described technique is not limited thereto. For example, the above-described technique may also be applied to film-forming processes using one type of gas alone or three or more types of gases. 
     As described above, according to some embodiments in the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the amount of the moisture in the low temperature region in the substrate processing apparatus provided with the transfer chamber.