Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, and storage medium

A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

• a carrier-placement unit configured to place a carrier carrying a plurality of substrates;
• a retreat-placement unit prepared for retreating an unloaded carrier from the carrier-placement unit, where the unloaded carrier is a carrier from which substrates are taken out;
• a carrier block equipped with a carrier-transfer mechanism configured to transfer the plurality of substrates between the carrier-placement unit and the retreat-placement unit;
• a processing block including one or more processing module that processes the plurality of substrate one by one;
• a first-transfer module configured to temporarily place the plurality of substrates unloaded from the carrier before the plurality of substrates are transferred to the processing block;
• a second-transfer module configured to temporarily place the plurality of substrates processed by the processing block;
• a buffer module configured to house the plurality of substrates taken out from the second-transfer module so that the plurality of substrates taken out from the second-transfer module can be held before the plurality of substrates are returned to the carrier;
• a first-transfer mechanism configured to transfer the plurality of substrates between the carrier placed in the carrier-placement unit, the first-transfer module and the second-transfer module;
• a second-transfer mechanism configured to transfer the plurality of substrates between the first-transfer module, the second-transfer module and a module disposed in the processing block, where the second transfer mechanism transfers the plurality of substrates in such a way that a substrate brought to the first-transfer module later does not bypass a substrate brought to the first-transfer module earlier;
• and
• a control unit configured to output control signals to each of units of the substrate processing apparatus to control operation of each of units of the substrate processing apparatus,
• wherein, when the second-transfer module houses at least one substrate and the carrier that can house the at least one substrate is not placed in the carrier-placement unit, the control unit outputs a control signal so that the at least one substrate housed in the second-transfer module is transferred to the buffer module, and
• wherein, when the second-transfer module houses at least one substrate and the carrier that can house the at least one substrate is placed in the carrier-placement unit, the control unit outputs a control signal so that the at least one substrate housed in the second-transfer module is transferred to the carrier, regardless of whether or not a substrate is being transferred from the buffer module to the carrier.