Patent ID: 7364376

Claim:
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: (a) a thermal processor for performing a thermal process on a substrate subjected to an exposure process and including (a-1) a temporary substrate rest chamber in which is provided a temporary substrate rest part for placing said substrate thereon when said substrate is transferred to and received from an outside of said thermal processor, (a-2) a heating chamber in which is provided a heating unit for heating said substrate subjected to said exposure process, said heating chamber and said temporary substrate rest chamber being disposed in stacked relationship with each other, and (a-3) a first transport unit for holding and transporting said substrate between said temporary substrate rest part and said heating unit while cooling said substrate heated by said heating unit; and (b) a controller configured to cause the start of thermal process of said substrate by said thermal processor when said predetermined time interval has elapsed since the completion of said exposure process by controlling the timing of take out of said substrate from said temporary substrate rest part by said first transport unit and adjusting a time interval during which said substrate rests on said temporary substrate rest part.