Patent ID: 7145667

Claim:
A semiconductor device manufacturing method, comprising: arranging at least one subject piece to be subjected to predetermined processing in a processing chamber in which said processing is conducted; starting said processing, and applying a light having a predetermined wavelength to a monitoring section which is formed so as to enable transmission and reflection of said light and which is provided at a tip of a monitoring device to indirectly monitor a thickness of a film on said subject piece, while said light is isolated from an atmosphere in said processing chamber and a substance introduced into said processing chamber; measuring a reflection light which is said application light is reflected near said monitoring section, while said reflection light is isolated from said atmosphere in said processing chamber and said substance introduced into said processing chamber; measuring an amount of a substance corresponding to a thickness of the film deposited on said monitoring section based on a measurement result of said reflection light; determining a thickness of a film on said subject piece based on the amount of said substance on said monitoring section; and conducting said predetermined processing while controlling said predetermined processing based on the thickness of said film on said subject piece.