Substrate processing apparatus, method of operating the same and non-transitory storage medium

A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of processing units each processing unit being configured to accommodate one substrate of a plurality of substrates therein, the plurality of substrates including a monitor substrate and a product substrate;
• a substrate transfer mechanism that transfers substrates to the plurality of processing units;
• and
• a control device,
• wherein the control device controls an operation mode of each of the processing units, the operation mode including one of a normal mode or a monitoring mode, the monitoring mode being an operation mode for subjecting the monitor substrate to a first predetermined process based on a characterizing processing condition for the first predetermined process, the normal mode being an operation mode for subjecting the product substrate to a second predetermined process based on a characterizing processing condition for the second predetermined process,
• wherein the control device is configured to compare the characterizing processing condition of the second predetermined process, related to the normal mode, with the characterizing processing condition of the first predetermined process, related to the monitoring mode,
• wherein the control device is configured to judge, based on a result of the comparison, whether loading of the product substrate to be subjected to the second predetermined process in the processing unit set in the monitoring mode is allowed or prohibited,
• wherein the control device is configured to judge that the loading of the product substrate to be subjected to the second predetermined process in the processing unit set in the monitoring mode is allowed, if the characterizing processing condition of the second predetermined process is different from the characterizing processing condition of the first predetermined process, and
• wherein the control device is configured to control the substrate transfer mechanism to load the product substrate into one of a processing unit set in the normal mode or a processing unit set in the monitoring mode into which loading of the product substrate is allowed by the judgment.