A vacuum processing method and apparatus having one cassette containing wafers
which are to be transferred in a preset transferring order to a processing unit
via a transfer unit, and another cassette containing wafers to be processed on
an emergency basis. Automatic control of processing a wafer from the one cassette
is effected, and in response to a request for emergency processing of a water of
the another cassette, the automatic processing control of the one wafer from the
one cassette is temporarily stopped while completing processing of the wafer of
the one cassette returning the same to the one cassette. Emergency processing is
initiated by transferring a wafer from the another cassette to the vacuum processing
unit via the transfer unit. The processing of the emergency wafer is completed
and the processed emergency wafer is returned to the another cassette.
