Substrate processing system and particle removal method

A substrate processing system comprising:

• a vacuum transfer module;
• a substrate processing module connected to the vacuum transfer module and configured to process a substrate under a depressurized environment;
• an atmospheric transfer module;
• a load-lock module having an inner space that is switchable between a depressurized environment and an atmospheric pressure environment via an exhaust, and connected to the vacuum transfer module and the atmospheric transfer module;
• a first substrate transfer robot disposed in the vacuum transfer module and a second substrate transfer robot disposed in the atmospheric transfer module, each of the first and second substrate transfer robots having an end effector;
• a cleaning wafer being charged with a positive or negative voltage, the cleaning wafer including an insulating film;
• a charging mechanism configured to charge the cleaning wafer with the positive or the negative voltage;
• and
• a controller having a processor and a memory with a computer readable program stored therein, the controller being configured to:
• cause the charging mechanism to charge the cleaning wafer with the positive or the negative voltage, and then
• perform a particle removal operation of causing the first substrate transfer robot to move the charged cleaning wafer along an inner surface of the vacuum transfer module that is connected to the substrate processing module to collect particles entering the vacuum transfer module, by electrical attraction, from the substrate processing module.