Patent ID: 8588950

Claim:
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of process chambers configured to process substrates; a transfer chamber connected to the process chambers; a transfer mechanism located inside the transfer chamber to transfer the substrates between the transfer chamber and the process chambers; a process controller connected to each of the plurality of process chambers to control a processing of the substrates in each of the process chambers; an integrated controller connected to the process controller to control an operation of the transfer mechanism, and a manipulation unit connected to the integrated controller and the process controller, the manipulation unit being configured to transmit a command thereto and to receive an operation report from the transfer mechanism via the integrated controller, wherein the manipulation unit comprises a display unit displaying a setting screen for selecting one of a maintenance mode wherein a maintenance check of the plurality of process chambers is performed, a QC mode wherein a quality control substrate is processed in the plurality of process chambers after performing the maintenance check and a production mode wherein a production substrate is processed in the plurality of process chambers, wherein, when a predetermined process chamber of the plurality of process chambers is set to the maintenance mode on the setting screen, the integrated controller controls the transfer mechanism to inhibit a transfer of the substrates into the predetermined process chamber, wherein, when the predetermined process chamber of the plurality of process chambers is set to the QC mode on the setting screen, the integrated controller controls the transfer mechanism to transfer the quality control substrate into the predetermined process chamber while inhibiting a transfer of the product substrate into the predetermined process, and wherein, when the predetermined process chamber of the plurality of process chambers is set to the production mode on the setting screen, the integrated controller controls the transfer mechanism to transfer the product substrate into the predetermined process chamber while inhibiting a transfer of the quality control substrate into process chambers of the plurality of process chambers other than the predetermined process chamber.