Patent ID: 7824934

Claim:
A substrate processing apparatus that carries out processing on a substrate, the substrate processing apparatus comprising: a storage device that stores parameters for controlling the processing, the parameters configuring a plurality of components of the substrate processing apparatus, the parameters being categorized into a plurality of categories, each category determining whether corresponding parameters are enabled to be changed; a control device that carries out the processing on the substrate based on the parameters; a parameter changing device that enables each of the parameters to be changed in accordance with the corresponding category when functions are added or changed in the substrate processing apparatus; a parameter category changing device that changes the category of a subset of the parameters when the functions are added or changed in the substrate processing apparatus; and a category change defining device that is detachable from the substrate processing apparatus and specifies the subset of parameters whose category is to be changed, wherein said parameter category changing device changes the category of each of the parameters specified by said category change defining device.