Patent ID: 8277891

Claim:
A method of operating a semiconductor manufacturing system comprising: placing a plurality of substrates in a reaction vessel with the substrates being arrayed at vertical intervals within a substrate placing region in the reaction vessel; thereafter, supplying at least one kind of film-forming gas into the reaction vessel through at least one film-forming nozzle, thereby forming a deposition film on the substrates by repeating atomic or molecular layer deposition; thereafter, removing the substrates from the reaction vessel; thereafter, placing a dummy substrate, or no substrate, in the substrate placing region of the reaction vessel; and thereafter, supplying at least one kind of coating gas from a position below the substrate placing region into the reaction vessel while the dummy or no substrate is therein through at least one coating nozzle, thereby forming a coating film over the deposition film formed due to the atomic or molecular level deposition on a component of said semiconductor manufacturing system exposed to an atmosphere within the reaction vessel, wherein said at least one coating nozzle is separated from said at least one film-forming nozzle.