Patent ID: 8231381

Claim:
A processing system for a process object surrounded by a partition wall, the processing system comprising: a vertical processing unit configured to thermally process the process object; a process-object transport area disposed below the processing unit; a pair of process-object boats configured to hold the process objects in a tier-like manner; a boat elevating means configured to vertically move process-object boats so as to load and unload one process-object boat into and from the processing unit; a boat table for transport disposed in the process-object transport area, on which the other process-object boat can be placed, when the process objects are transported; a transport arm mechanism configured to transport the process objects between a storage box placed on a transport stage disposed on the partition wall and the other process-object boat placed on the boat table for transport; an arm elevating means configured to vertically move the transport arm mechanism; a temperature measuring means disposed on an upper part in the process-object transport area; and a transport control part configured to control the processing system such that: a transport operation of the transport arm mechanism and the arm elevating means may be performed, based on a measurement value from the temperature measuring means, wherein the operation includes a thermal processing step in which the one process-object boat holding a plurality of process objects is loaded into the processing unit by the boat elevating means so as to thermally process the process objects, and, after the thermal process, the one process-object boat is unloaded by the boat elevating means; a transport step in which the process objects are transported between the storage box and the other process-object boat, by using the transport arm mechanism and the arm elevating means; a temperature measuring step in which a temperature of an upper atmosphere in the process-object transport area is measured by the temperature measuring means; a first judgment step in which the transport operation in the transport step is prohibited, in response to detection of a first temperature by the temperature measuring means; and a second judgment in which the prohibition of the transport operation in the transport step is released, in response to detection of a second temperature by the temperature measuring means.