Method and machine utilizes the real-time recipe to perform weak point inspection on a series of wafers during the fabrication of integrated circuits. Each real-time recipe essentially corresponds to a practical fabrication history of a wafer to be examined and/or the examination results of at least one examined wafer of same lot. Therefore, different wafers can be examined by using different recipes where each recipe corresponds to a specific condition of a wafer to be examined, even these wafers are received by a machine for examining at the same time.

A data processing device includes: a collector that collects setting values in operating elements that control a production process for a product at prescribed intervals and collects brand information indicating a brand of the product; a first processor that performs a statistical process for the setting values, obtains representative values for the setting values as operation performance values while the product of the brand indicated in the brand information is being produced, and generates a performance value database; a second processor that performs a statistical process for operation performance values associated with brand information indicating a next brand to be produced in the production process among the operation performance values included in the performance value database, and obtains optimal setting values in the operating elements for producing the product of the next brand; and an outputter that outputs the obtained setting values.

Method and machine utilizes the real-time recipe to perform weak point inspection on a series of wafers during the fabrication of integrated circuits. Each real-time recipe essentially corresponds to a practical fabrication history of a wafer to be examined and/or the examination results of at least one examined wafer of same lot. Therefore, different wafers can be examined by using different recipes where each recipe corresponds to a specific condition of a wafer to be examined, even these wafers are received by a machine for examining at the same time.