Patent ID: 8777553

Claim:
A semiconductor device manufacturing method using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising a carrier in which a freely mountable/removable cover unit is provided on a substrate loading/unloading opening and a substrate is stored through the substrate loading/unloading opening, and a carrier open/close chamber in communication with the carrier, and a substrate transfer chamber in communication with the carrier open/close chamber, and a substrate processing chamber in communication with the substrate transfer chamber, and an exhaust unit for exhausting the atmosphere within the carrier open/close chamber by suction, and an exhaust quantity adjuster unit for regulating the suction exhaust quantity of the exhaust unit, and an inert gas supply unit for supplying inert gas to the carrier open/close chamber, and a controller for regulating the exhaust quantity of the exhaust quantity adjuster unit, and comprising: a substrate removing step of removing the cover unit from the substrate loading/unloading opening of the carrier in the carrier open/close chamber where inert gas is supplied, and removing the substrate from a substrate storage chamber of the carrier through the substrate loading/unloading opening of the carrier, a substrate processing step of processing the substrate in the substrate processing chamber, and a substrate storing step of supplying inert gas to the carrier open/close chamber at a larger flow rate than the supply flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the carrier open/close chamber at the substrate removing step, and storing the substrate processed at the substrate processing step to the substrate storage chamber of the carrier through the substrate loading/unloading opening of the carrier.