Patent ID: 7824497

Claim:
An in-line type substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a first polygonal circulation path endlessly surrounding an area; a first group of vacuum chambers provided along the first polygonal circulation path, at least one of the vacuum chambers being a process chamber for processing a substrate under vacuum; a first circulation mechanism for circulating a first holder along the first polygonal circulation path through the first group of the vacuum chambers; a second polygonal circulation path endlessly surrounding another area; a second group of vacuum chambers provided along the second polygonal circulation path, at least one of the vacuum chambers being a process chamber for processing the substrate under vacuum; a second circulation mechanism for circulating a second holder along the second polygonal circulation path through the second group of the vacuum chambers; a loading mechanism for loading the substrate on the first holder so that the substrate is processed in the process chamber on the first polygonal circulation path; a connection transfer path interconnecting the first and the second polygonal circulation paths, such that a side in the first polygonal circulation path and a side in the second polygonal circulation path face each other; an unloading mechanism for unloading the substrate from the second holder after the substrate is processed in the process chamber on the second polygonal circulation path; a vacuum chamber on the connection transfer path; and one robot provided in the vacuum chamber on the connection transfer path, the vacuum chamber on the connection transfer path air-tightly interconnecting one of the vacuum chambers of the first group on the side in the first polygonal circulation path and one of the vacuum chambers of the second group on the side in the second polygonal circulation path, the one robot comprising an arm capable of picking up the substrate from the first holder on the first polygonal circulation path and capable of placing the substrate on the second holder on the second polygonal circulation path so that the substrate is processed in the process chamber on the second polygonal circulation path after the substrate is processed in the process chamber on the first polygonal circulation path, wherein the substrate is capable of being picked up from the first holder on the first polygonal circulation path and placed on the second holder only by the one robot.