Patent ID: 7122096

Claim:
A processing apparatus which performs a lot process in which a plurality of samples of a lot are successively processed in a process chamber, comprising: the 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 including: an intra-lot variation pattern database programmed to correspondingly store therein, sensor data candidates detectable by the state sensor during the lot pre-stabilizing process and corresponding intra-lot variation patterns; an intra-lot variation pattern prediction unit programmed to predict an intra-lot variation pattern of a lot to be processed next by referring to the intra-lot variation pattern database according to the sensor data detected by the state sensor, and to calculate a machining dimension variation for each sample of the lot to be processed next based on the predicted intra-lot variation pattern of a lot to be processed next; and an intra-lot process condition setting unit programmed to calculate a quantity of correction of a process condition for each sample of a lot to be processed next based on the machining dimension variation for each sample of the lot to be processed next calculated by the intra-lot variation pattern prediction unit prior to starting the lot process.