Apparatus and method for switching a substrate processing apparatus to virtual sensor based control

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a program that, when executed, causes a computer to execute a process performed by an information processing apparatus, the process comprising:

• acquiring a physical sensor output value output from each of a plurality of physical sensors installed in a substrate processing apparatus;
• predicting a virtual sensor output value of a virtual sensor corresponding to a prediction target physical sensor among the plurality of physical sensors by using a statistical model that is constructed by a statistical technique or a physical model that is constructed by a physical technique, based on a degree of similarity between the physical sensor output value of the prediction target physical sensor and data learned by the statistical model;
• comparing the physical sensor output value of the prediction target physical sensor with the virtual sensor output value of the virtual sensor, and determining whether an abnormality occurs in the prediction target physical sensor;
• and
• switching from control of the substrate processing apparatus based on the physical sensor output value of the prediction target physical sensor to control of the substrate processing apparatus based on the virtual sensor output value of the virtual sensor when it is determined that the abnormality occurs in the prediction target physical sensor;
• wherein the virtual sensor output value of the virtual sensor is predicted using the statistical model when the degree of similarity is higher than a threshold value, and the virtual sensor output value of the virtual sensor is predicted using the physical model when the degree of similarity is equal to or lower than the threshold value.

A control method executed by a substrate processing system provided with at least one substrate processing apparatus and an information processing apparatus communicatively connected to the substrate processing apparatus, the control method comprising:

• acquiring a physical sensor output value output from a plurality of physical sensors installed in the substrate processing apparatus;
• predicting a virtual sensor output value of a virtual sensor corresponding to a prediction target physical sensor among the plurality of physical sensors by using a statistical model that is constructed by a statistical technique or a physical model constructed by a physical technique, based on a degree of similarity between the physical sensor output value of the prediction target physical sensor and data learned by the statistical model;
• comparing the physical sensor output value of the prediction target physical sensor with the virtual sensor output value of the virtual sensor, and determining whether an abnormality occurs in the prediction target physical sensor;
• and
• switching from control of the substrate processing apparatus based on the physical sensor output value of the prediction target physical sensor to control of the substrate processing apparatus based on the virtual sensor output value of the virtual sensor when it is determined that the abnormality occurs in the prediction target physical sensor;
• wherein the virtual sensor output value of the virtual sensor is predicted using the statistical model when the degree of similarity is higher than a threshold value, and the virtual sensor output value of the virtual sensor is predicted using the physical model when the degree of similarity is equal to or lower than the threshold value.