Patent ID: 7139627

Claim:
A processing system comprising: a plurality of processing apparatuses, each processing apparatus including: treatment means for treating an object according to a predetermined recipe, a heating furnace adapted to contain and heat the object, and a plurality of thermal sensors arranged to sense temperature at their respective positions and provide signals indicative thereof, memory means for storing control data defining a model and a recipe for controlling the treatment means, the model providing an estimate of temperature of the object based on signals from the thermal sensors, and a recipe defining a desired change in temperature of the object during treatment, control means for controlling the treatment means according to the control data stored in the memory means so that the object is treated according to the recipe, the control means being configured to estimate the temperature of the object based on the outputs of the thermal sensors by using the model, and control the heating furnace based on the estimated temperature so that the temperature of the object changes according to the recipe; and means for independently communicating with a computer system separate and apart from each of the other processing apparatuses by receiving control data and transmitting to the computer system data indicative of treatment; a computer system arranged separate and apart from the processing apparatuses and adapted to communicate with each processing apparatus, data including the control data and data indicative of treatment results, the computer system including calibration means for calibrating the control data for each processing apparatus based at least in part on a result of a treatment of an object performed by the processing apparatus, the computer system being constructed and arranged to calibrate the model when a model for one of the processing apparatuses is to be used and calibrated according to the following process: sending a calibrating recipe for calibrating a model to a processing apparatus; causing the processing apparatuses to treat an object according to the calibrating recipe for calibrating the model; and calibrating the model by the calibration means based on a result of the treatment of the object.