Patent ID: 8272826

Claim:
A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a first cluster including a first transfer chamber to transfer one or more substrates to at least one first process chamber; a second cluster including a second transfer chamber, spaced from the first transfer chamber, to transfer one or more substrates to at least one second process chamber; a first load lock chamber, coupled to the first transfer chamber, to transfer one or more substrates from/to the first load lock chamber to/from the first process chamber; a second load lock chamber, coupled to the second transfer chamber, to transfer one or more substrates from/to the second load lock chamber to/from the second process chamber, the second load lock chamber spaced from the first load lock chamber; a substrate transfer unit, located between the first and second load lock chambers, for transferring the one or more substrates to the first and second load lock chambers; and a cassette provided at a rear of the substrate transfer unit, wherein: the substrate transfer unit and the first and second load lock chambers are aligned along a common axis, the substrate transfer unit receives the one or more substrates directly from the cassette with no intervening load lock chamber, the substrate transfer unit includes a robot to transfer substrates between the cassette and each of the first and second load lock chambers, the robot moves linearly in a first direction between the first and second load lock chambers in alignment with the first and second load lock chambers along said common axis, the one or more substrates move linearly in a second direction between each of the first and second load lock chambers and respective ones of the first and second clusters, and wherein the first direction crosses the second direction.