Patent ID: 7908025

Claim:
A method of controlling a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: obtaining a plurality of processing parameters for processing a wafer, wherein the processing parameters comprise processing conditions of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus; obtaining a target parameter that is measured from the wafer processed with the plurality of processing parameters; calculating a model formula, comprising: calculating a multicollinearity of first parameters that are the plurality of processing parameters to set to second parameters, the first parameters except a parameter having more than a given value of the multicollinearity; calculating correlation coefficients between the second parameters and the target parameter to set to a third parameter, a given number of the second parameters in descending order of the correlation coefficients; calculating partial correlation coefficients between the third parameter and the second parameters to set to a fourth parameter, a given number of the second parameters in descending order of the partial correlation coefficients; and performing a multiple regression analysis between the third parameter and the fourth parameter and the target parameter to calculate the model formula expressing the target parameter in the third parameter and the fourth parameter; obtaining the selected parameter of a processing while the processing is being performed by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus; calculating a predicted value of the target parameter of the wafer being processed by use of the model formula and the selected parameter, while the processing is being performed; calculating a value to be modified of a modification parameter, the modification parameter being one or more of the plurality of processing parameters of the processing being performed by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus on the basis of the predicted value, while the processing is being performed; and performing the processing continuously by use of the value to be modified of the modification parameter.