Patent ID: 6983195

Claim:
A method of transferring a target object in a semiconductor processing system, the system including a plurality of processing apparatuses configured to subject target objects to processes of different kinds, a plurality of waiting ports configured to put the target objects on standby, an alignment device configured to subject the target objects to alignment, and a common transfer mechanism configured to transfer the target objects between the plurality of processing apparatuses, the plurality of waiting ports, and the alignment device, the method comprising, while a first target object is processed in a first processing apparatus, as one of the processing apparatuses: performing information processing, using a remaining process time to complete a process on the first target object in the first processing apparatus, and to make the first target object ready for transfer from the first processing apparatus, and a total transfer time, which includes a first partial transfer time to transfer one of the target objects from a first waiting port, as one of the waiting ports, to the alignment device, and a second partial transfer time to transfer one of the target objects from the alignment device to a waiting position for the first processing apparatus; and starting transfer of a new target object from the first waiting port toward the waiting position for the first processing apparatus, based on a result of the information processing.