Patent ID: 8565911

Claim:
A thermal processing method performed by a vertical thermal processing apparatus comprising a thermal processing furnace, a substrate holder configured to be carried into the thermal processing furnace and to hold a substrate, and a substrate transfer means including a holding arm configured to hold a substrate and a transfer base member configured to support the holding arm, the vertical thermal processing apparatus being configured to thermally process the substrate; the thermal processing method comprising: obtaining, as a normal height position, a height position of the substrate placed on each step of the substrate holder or a height position of a specific portion of the substrate holder, the specific portion having a specific relationship with respect to each substrate, under the condition that the substrate holder is not subjected to a thermal effect; obtaining, a height position of each corresponding substrate or a height position of each corresponding specific portion, at a time of the operation of the vertical thermal processing apparatus; calculating a difference between the normal height position of each substrate or the normal height position of each specific portion, and the height position of each substrate or the height position of each specific part, the height position being obtained at the time of the operation of the vertical thermal processing apparatus; comparing the difference with a threshold value and judging whether the transfer operation of the substrate from or to the substrate holder can be performed or not based on the comparison result; and forbidding the transfer operation of the substrate by the substrate transfer means when it is judged that the transfer operation of the substrate cannot be performed.