Patent ID: 8318238

Claim:
A film position adjusting method for use in a substrate processing system, which includes a film forming apparatus, a centering device, and a control unit, the centering device having an image sensor, the film position adjusting method comprising the sequential steps of: forming a test film on a surface of a test substrate by using the film forming apparatus in accordance with a test film processing condition, the surface of the test substrate including a film forming portion where the test film is formed during the test film forming step and a non-film forming portion where the test film is not formed during the test film forming step; measuring, by using the image sensor, widths of the non-film forming portion; calculating, by using the control unit, a center position discrepancy of the test film formed on the test substrate with respect to a center of the test substrate based on the widths of the non-film forming portion measured in the widths measuring step; adjusting, by using the control unit, a position of a product substrate in the film forming apparatus based on the center position discrepancy; and forming a product film on a surface of the product substrate by using the film forming method apparatus in accordance with a product film processing condition, wherein the test film processing condition is different from the product film processing condition.