A substrate processing apparatus is provided, which can place a substrate in a correct position, even though a positional error occurs between the substrate carried in a processing vessel and a placing table. This substrate processing apparatus can take a necessary action immediately against a positional error of the substrate generated when the substrate is separated from the placing table after completion of a process. The plasma apparatus 1 includes a processing vessel 11, lifting pins 34 provided in the processing vessel 11, and a detecting head 22. A wafer W is carried into the processing vessel 11 from the exterior of the processing vessel 11 by using a carrying apparatus 6, and is stopped in a transferring position above the lifting pins 34. Thereafter, the detecting head 22 is moved from an evacuation position to a detection position, so as to obtain positional error information between a current position in which the wafer W is currently held and a programmed position in which the transfer of the wafer W is to be carried out. Based on the positional error information, the transferring position of the wafer W is corrected by using the carrying apparatus 6, such that an amount of the positional error between the current position W and the programmed position is within an allowable range.