Substrate processing apparatus and method of processing substrate while controlling for contamination in substrate transfer module

A method of processing a substrate comprising:

• (a) providing purging gas into a substrate transfer chamber, and re-circulating the purging gas through the substrate transfer chamber;
• (b) loading a container, containing a plurality of substrates, onto a load port disposed outside of the substrate transfer chamber;
• (c) transferring the substrates from the container on the load port into the substrate transfer chamber using a robot disposed within the substrate transfer chamber;
• (d) transferring the substrates from the substrate transfer chamber to at least one substrate processing chamber;
• (e) processing the substrates within said at least one substrate process chamber;
• (f) transferring the processed substrates from said at least one process chamber into a container;
• and
• wherein said providing of the purging gas into the substrate transfer chamber, and said re-circulating of the purging gas through the substrate transfer chamber of step (a) are continuously carried out during the steps of (b) to (f).

A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

• a container configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates;
• a substrate processing section including at least one processing chamber in which substrates are processed;
• a substrate transferring module connected to said substrate processing section, said substrate transferring module including a substrate transfer chamber, a load port disposed outside said substrate transfer chamber and configured to support said container outside said substrate transfer chamber as exposed to the ambient outside the processing apparatus, and a substrate transferring means disposed within said substrate transfer chamber and operable to transfer wafers between the container supported by said load port and said substrate transfer chamber;
• and
• a contamination controlling system including a gas inlet port connected to said substrate transfer chamber and through which purging gas is supplied into the substrate transfer chamber, and a gas circulating tube extending outside said substrate transfer chamber and connected to respective portions of said substrate transfer chamber spaced from one another along a length of the chamber such that the purging gas in the substrate transfer chamber can be re-circulated through the substrate transfer chamber via said gas circulating tube,
• wherein an inner portion of said container supported by said load port is filled with the purging gas provided into said substrate transfer chamber to prevent an inflow of contaminating material into said container.