Patent ID: 7756599

Claim:
A computer readable storage medium storing a program for performing an operation method of a substrate processing apparatus which includes: a transfer unit for transferring a substrate to be processed between a transfer chamber and the outside; and at least one vacuum processing unit, connected to the transfer unit, having a vacuum preparation chamber connected to the transfer unit via a gate valve and at least one vacuum processing chamber for performing a process on the substrate loaded therein via the vacuum preparation chamber by using a corrosive gas as a processing gas, the method comprising the steps of: introducing a nonreactive gas into the vacuum preparation chamber before the gate valve is opened for substrate is transfer between the vacuum preparation chamber of the vacuum processing unit and the transfer unit; stopping introducing the nonreactive gas when an inner pressure of the vacuum preparation chamber becomes same as an atmospheric pressure, starting an evacuation process of a corrosive gas in the vacuum preparation chamber and then opening to atmosphere performed by letting the vacuum preparation chamber communicate with an atmosphere; and opening the gate valve after the step of opening to atmosphere.