Substrate processing apparatus

1. A substrate processing apparatus that performs a series of processes to a substrate in a vacuum atmosphere by using multiple process modules in sequence, the substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a transfer chamber in a vacuum atmosphere;

a row of substrate transfer devices each arranged within the transfer chamber and each configured to be rotatable horizontally and movable back and forth;

rows of process modules arranged at right and left sides of the row of the substrate transfer devices along the row, each of the process modules performing a process to the substrate;

standby decompression chambers arranged at one ends of the row of substrate transfer devices; and

a control unit configured to control a transfer of the substrate,

wherein the multiple process modules include a process module, having a sidewall at a side of the row of the substrate transfer devices protruded toward a space between the adjacent substrate transfer devices, configured to deliver the substrate with respect to any one of the substrate transfer devices at a front side in an inclination direction of the sidewall and a rear side in the inclination direction thereof,

in the rows of the process modules, each of the series of the processes is performed by at least two process modules, and

when one process module of the rows of the process modules is not applicable, the control unit outputs a control signal to continuously process the substrate by using another process module that performs the same process as performed in the one process module, and

wherein each of the substrate transfer devices is configured to allow to deliver the substrate to an adjacent substrate transfer device without passing through any one of the process modules and without passing through any chamber except an adjacent transfer chamber,

adjacent substrate transfer devices are partitioned by a gate valve,

a substrate transfer mechanism configured to transfer the substrate between the adjacent substrate transfer devices is provided in the vicinity of the gate valve,

one of the substrate transfer devices is configured to deliver the substrate to one of the process modules and to another of the substrate transfer devices which is adjacent to said one of the substrate transfer devices,

said another of the substrate transfer devices is configured to deliver the substrate to said one of the process modules and to said one of the substrate transfer devices,

the substrate transfer mechanism includes an elevating device which is provided between adjacent substrate transfer devices and is configured to vertically move, and

the adjacent substrate transfer devices at both sides of the elevating device deliver the substrate with respect to the elevating device.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein same processes are included in the series of the processes, and the same processes are performed by the process modules different from each other, and

the process modules different from each other correspond to the one process module and the another process module, respectively.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein, in addition to the multiple process modules prepared to perform the series of the processes, a standby process module corresponding to the another process module is used in a case where the one process module of the multiple processing modules is not applicable.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein the control unit outputs a control signal to preferentially unload a substrate, of which a processing result is deteriorated when the substrate processed in the process module is left in the corresponding process module, from the corresponding process module before transferring a group of substrates of which processing results are not deteriorated even when the substrates processed in the corresponding process modules are left in the corresponding process modules.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a retreat module which is connected to the transfer chamber and to which a substrate placed in the one process module of the rows of the process modules is temporarily retreated when the one process module is not applicable.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein, in the rows of the process modules, a laminated film including eight of metal films and metal oxide films in total is formed on the substrate, and

the process module configured to form a metal is configured to perform a sputtering method.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6 ,

wherein the process module includes different kinds of multiple targets.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,

the rows of the process modules and the row of the substrate transfer devices are arranged such that the process module, the substrate transfer device, and the process module are located in zigzags.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein each of the transfer chambers has an octagonal shape in a plane view, and the transfer chambers are continuously connected to share a side of the octagonal shape and include one transfer chamber and another transfer chamber each including the substrate transfer device,

when a process module having a sidewall at a side of the row of the substrate transfer devices protruded toward a space between the adjacent substrate transfer devices serves as a main process module, the main process module is connected to the one transfer chamber and the another transfer chamber by allowing the sidewall to be protruded toward the space between the one transfer chamber and the another transfer chamber, and

when among the process modules, process modules respectively provided next to the main process module at a front side and at a rear side are subordinate process modules, the subordinate process modules are connected to a side next to the side of the octagonal shape connected to the main process module.