Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

A substrate processing method in which substrates are extracted from a supply cassette of a loading/unloading section, the extracted substrates are loaded in a processing section and sequentially processed, the processed substrates are stored in a recovery cassette of said loading/unloading section, characterized by comprising:

• (A) the step of predetermining initial conditions of the supply cassette, the recovery cassette, and substrates;
• (B) the step of setting the supply cassette and the recovery cassette in said loading/unloading section on the basis of the initial conditions;
• (C) the step of detecting the substrate which are present in the cassette set in said loading/unloading section and obtaining mapping data on the basis of the detection results;
• (D) the step of selecting a substrate from the supply cassette on the basis of the mapping data and the initial conditions;
• (E) the step of extracting the selected substrate from the supply cassette, conveying the substrate to a processing section, and processing the substrate according to the initial conditions;
• (F) the step of detecting the states of a substrate in processing, a processed substrate, and a substrate in conveyance to display the states when an operation of said processing section is stopped to interrupt processing for the substrates;
• (G) the step of determining specific cassettes in which the substrate in processing, the processed substrate, and the substrate in conveyance on the basis of the display in the step (F), the mapping data, and the initial conditions;
• and
• (H) the step of storing the substrate in processing, the processed substrate, and the substrate in conveyance in the recovery cassette or the supply cassette according to the determination in the step (G).

A substrate processing apparatus in which substrates are extracted from a supply cassette of a loading/unloading section, the extracted substrates are loaded in a processing section and sequentially processed, the processed substrates are stored in a recovery cassette of said loading/unloading section, comprising:

• means for predetermining initial conditions of cassettes and substrates before processing is started;
• said loading/unloading section having a placing table on which the supply and recovery cassettes are placed;
• a processing section having a plurality of processing units for processing the substrates;
• means for setting the supply and recovery cassettes in said loading/unloading section on the basis of the initial conditions;
• a substrate transferring device for extracting substrates from the cassettes set in said loading/unloading section and conveying the substrates to said processing section;
• a first sensor for detecting the substrates which are present in the cassettes set in said loading/unloading section;
• means for forming mapping data of the substrates in the cassettes on the basis of the detection results from said first sensor and storing the mapping data;
• control means for calling the mapping data from said data storing means and controlling said substrate transferring device on the basis of the mapping data and the initial conditions;
• a second sensor for detecting the states of the supply and recovery cassettes set in said loading/unloading section;
• and
• display means for detecting the states of the cassettes detected by said second sensor,
• characterized in that said control means causes said setting means to reset the supply and recovery cassettes on the placing table according to the initial states when the states of the cassettes detected by said second sensor do not satisfy the initial conditions.