Substrate transfer apparatus and substrate transfer method

A substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate, comprising:

• a plurality of vacuum transfer chambers, each having therein a substrate transfer mechanism for holding and transferring the substrate;
• an intermediate chamber disposed between the vacuum transfer chambers adjacent to each other;
• and
• a temperature control chamber that is disposed at a position adjacent to the intermediate chamber between the vacuum transfer chambers adjacent to each other to control a temperature of the substrate,
• wherein when one of the vacuum transfer chambers adjacent to each other is set as a first vacuum transfer chamber and the other is set as a second vacuum transfer chamber, the first vacuum transfer chamber, the second vacuum transfer chamber, the intermediate chamber and the temperature control chamber are disposed on the same horizontal plane,
• a first substrate loading/unloading port is disposed between the intermediate chamber and the first vacuum transfer chamber and a second substrate loading/unloading port is disposed between the intermediate chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber,
• a gate valve is provided for the second substrate loading/unloading port between the first substrate loading/unloading port and the second substrate loading/unloading port, and
• the first substrate loading/unloading port and the second substrate loading/unloading port have different height positions,
• wherein when the gate valve is opened, the first vacuum transfer chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber communicate with each other through the intermediate chamber,
• wherein a third substrate loading/unloading port is disposed between the temperature control chamber and only one of the first vacuum transfer chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber,
• a further gate valve is disposed at the third substrate loading/unloading port, and
• the third substrate loading/unloading port is disposed between the first vacuum transfer chamber and the temperature control chamber, and a height position of the third substrate loading/unloading port is different from a height position of the first substrate loading/unloading port.