Patent ID: 7473332

Claim:
A method of performing a lot process in which a plurality of samples of a lot are successively processed in a processing apparatus having a process chamber, a sample stand to hold a sample in the process chamber, a process gas supply unit to supply a process gas to the process chamber, a state sensor programmed to detect a state in the process chamber during a lot pre-stabilizing process which is conducted prior to the lot process, and a process condition setting unit, the method comprising the steps of: creating an intra-lot variation pattern database which stores a correlation between a wavelength pattern observed in a pre-stabilizing process in accordance with data sensed by the state sensor and a variation of process dimensions of the samples for the following process; conducting a pre-stabilizing process and determining a wavelength pattern in accordance with data sensed by the state sensor; predicting an intra-lot variation pattern of a lot on the basis of the wavelength pattern observed during the pre-stabilizing process in dependence upon the intra-lot variation pattern database; calculating a predicted machining dimension variation for each sample of a lot to be processed next; calculating a quantity of correction of a process condition for each sample of the lot to be processed next; and initiating processing of the samples of the lot to be processed according to the corrected process condition.