Patent ID: 8543235

Claim:
A method of controlling a transfer robot, the transfer robot transferring a to-be processed substrate from a first of a plurality of processing chambers to a second of the plurality of processing chambers, the method comprising: contracting a robot hand to take a first substrate out of the first processing chamber; turning the robot hand so that a front end of the robot hand points to the second processing chamber; extending the robot hand to transfer the first substrate to the second processing chamber, wherein a series of actions of the transfer robot including the contracting, turning and extending of the transfer robot hand is performed by a single command, wherein the transfer robot has two robot hands disposed at a predetermined distance from each other in the turning direction of the transfer robot; the method further comprising: first taking out the first substrate present in the first processing chamber by one of the two robot hands, second taking out, after the first taking out, a second substrate different from the first substrate and handing over by the other of the two robot hands to a predetermined position in the first processing chamber, wherein the series of actions further includes the first taking out and the second taking out and handing; and the method further comprising: during the series of actions without waiting for completion of the series of actions, generating a signal for closing an isolation valve which separates the first processing chamber from a transfer chamber in which the transfer robot is disposed, wherein the transfer robot generates the signal.