Abstract: There is provided a configuration that includes: an intake damper and an intake fan configured to communicate with an intake port that sucks air to a transfer chamber connected to a process chamber; a valve of an inert gas introduction pipe configured to supply an inert gas to the transfer chamber; an exhaust fan and a first exhaust valve installed in the transfer chamber; a switch configured to select one of an atmospheric mode in which an atmosphere of the transfer chamber is an air atmosphere and a purge mode in which the atmosphere of the transfer chamber is an inert gas atmosphere; and a controller configured to control each of the intake damper, the intake fan, the valve of the inert gas introduction pipe, the exhaust fan, and the first exhaust valve to execute one of the atmospheric mode and the purge mode.

Abstract: There is provided a configuration that includes: an intake damper and an intake fan configured to communicate with an intake port that sucks air to a transfer chamber connected to a process chamber; a valve of an inert gas introduction pipe configured to supply an inert gas to the transfer chamber; an exhaust fan and a first exhaust valve installed in the transfer chamber; a switch configured to select one of an atmospheric mode in which an atmosphere of the transfer chamber is an air atmosphere and a purge mode in which the atmosphere of the transfer chamber is an inert gas atmosphere; and a controller configured to control each of the intake damper, the intake fan, the valve of the inert gas introduction pipe, the exhaust fan, and the first exhaust valve to execute one of the atmospheric mode and the purge mode.

Abstract: Throughput is increased, the footprint is reduced, heating may be carried out in a short time, and variations in the temperature of the substrate surface may be reduced. A heating chamber 47 for heating the substrate is formed as an upper level of a load/lock chamber 13, and a cooling chamber 48 for cooling the substrate is formed as a lower level of the load/lock chamber 13. An upper heater 51 and a lower heater 56 are formed above and below the heating chamber 47. A shower plate 52 is located between the upper heater 51 and the lower heater 56. A gas heating space 50 is located between the upper heater 51 and the shower plate 52. An N2 gas introducer 42 is connected to the gas heating space 50, such that N2 gas is introduced into the gas heating space 50. The N2 gas introduced from the N2 gas introducer 42 is heated in the gas heating space 50 and is then supplied to the substrate W in the form of a shower via the shower plate 52.

Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing method which comprises the steps of: performing plasma processing for a substrate placed on a substrate table in a processing chamber through use of plasma generated by applying an RF power to a gas or gases within the processing chamber while maintaining the pressure within the chamber at a predetermined pressure by feeding the gas or gases into the chamber and by evacuating the gas or gases from the chamber; lifting the substrate off the substrate table after stopping the application of the RF power to terminate the plasma process, while continuing the feeding and evacuating the gas or gases to maintain the inside of the chamber at the predetermined pressure: evacuating the chamber to a high vacuum after lifting off the substrate; and transferring the substrate out of the chamber.