Patent ID: 7416405

Claim:
A method of using a vertical type of thermal processing apparatus including a thermal processing furnace having a furnace opening at a lower portion thereof, a boat holding objects to be processed in a tier-like manner in a vertical direction being adapted to be contained in the thermal processing furnace through the furnace opening in order to conduct a thermal process to the objects to be processed, a transferring chamber connected to the furnace opening, a lid supporting the boat, capable of closing the furnace opening, an elevating mechanism provided in the transferring chamber, configured to move up and down the lid in order to load and unload the boat into and out from the thermal processing furnace, a connecting port provided at a wall of the transferring chamber, capable of being connected to an opening of a conveying container for containing the objects to be processed, a first containing portion provided in the transferring chamber, capable of temporarily containing unprocessed objects to be processed for a next thermal process, a second containing portion provided in the transferring chamber, capable of temporarily containing processed objects to be processed conveyed out from the thermal processing furnace, and a transferring mechanism that transfers objects to be processed between the conveying container, the first containing portion, the second containing portion and the boat, the method comprising a first transferring step of transferring unprocessed objects to be processed from a conveying container onto the boat, a first loading step of loading the boat into the thermal processing furnace, after the first transferring step, a first thermal processing step of thermally processing the unprocessed objects to be processed held on the boat, after the first loading step, a second transferring step of transferring unprocessed objects to be processed from the conveying container or a next second conveying container to the first containing portion, during the first thermal processing step, a first unloading step of unloading the boat out from the thermal processing furnace, after the first thermal processing step, a third transferring step of transferring the processed objects to be processed held on the boat to the second containing portion, after the first unloading step, a fourth transferring step of transferring the unprocessed objects to be processed from the first containing portion to the boat, after the third transferring step, a second loading step of loading the boat into the thermal processing furnace, after the fourth transferring step, a second thermal processing step of thermally processing the unprocessed objects to be processed held on the boat, after the second loading step, and a fifth transferring step of transferring the processed objects to be processed from the second containing portion to the conveying container or the second conveying container, during the second thermal processing step.