Patent ID: 8079797

Claim:
A substrate processing system comprising: a container load port section for loading and unloading a container for storing a plurality of substrates; a substrate access area for taking out a plurality of unprocessed substrates from a container and for inserting processed substrates into an empty container; a container transfer apparatus configured to transfer a container between the container load port section and the substrate access area; a process section configured to perform a predetermined process on a plurality of substrates together; a substrate delivery area for loading a plurality of unprocessed substrates into the process section and for unloading processed substrates from the process section; a substrate handling apparatus configured to transfer substrates from a container at the substrate access area to the substrate delivery area and to transfer substrates from the substrate delivery area into a container at the substrate access area; a substrate transfer mechanism configured to transfer substrates between the substrate delivery area and the process section; and a control section configured to control a series of transfer operations of transferring a container that stores unprocessed substrates to the substrate access area and then transferring the unprocessed substrates from this container to the substrate delivery area, and of transferring an empty container to the substrate access area, then transferring processed substrates from the substrate delivery area into this empty container, and then transferring the container that stores the processed substrates, wherein the control section is preset to control the container transfer apparatus, an operation at the substrate access area, and the substrate handling apparatus independently of each other, and the control section includes a schedule creating portion configured to create a transfer schedule by individually adjusting operation timing of the container transfer apparatus, operation timing at the substrate access area, and operation timing of the substrate handling apparatus such that, in a state in which a first lot of substrates is treated in the processing system, but the container transfer apparatus and the substrate access area are unoccupied, a container with a second lot of unprocessed substrates stored therein is transferred onto the substrate access area, thereby minimizing total transfer time.