Patent ID: 7645713

Claim:
A substrate processing method to be carried out by a substrate processing system capable of processing a plurality of substrates in a single-substrate processing mode using a plurality of processes, the substrate processing system being provided with a plurality of modules respectively for carrying out successive processes, and the substrate processing system carrying out a plurality of processes successively, and the substrate processing system having a plurality of same modules for carrying out each process of the a plurality of processes, the substrate processing method comprising the steps of: carrying a substrate in one of at least two carrying modes, each carrying mode specifying a method of assigning receiving modules to sending modules, the receiving modules being part of the a plurality of same modules for carrying out one process of the a plurality of processes, and the sending modules being a part of the a plurality of same modules for carrying our another process of the a plurality of processes, and each of the receiving modules corresponding to each of the sending modules respectively, the substrate being transferred by a transfer arm commonly used in each carrying mode of the at least two carrying modes; changing from a carrying mode in effect of the at least two carrying modes, to an other carrying mode of the at least two carrying modes when a carrying mode change command is given while substrates are being processed; and carrying substrates in the other carrying mode which was newly brought into effect by the carrying mode change command.