Technical Paper: Winter Simulation Conference 2022

Fab-wide Scheduling of Semiconductor Plants: a Large-scale Industrial Deployment Case Study

Authors:

Ioannis Konstantelos, Johannes Wiebe, Robert Moss, Sebastian Steele, Dennis Xenos, Tina O’Donnell, and Sharon Feely.

Abstract:

This paper presents a novel fab-wide scheduling approach for large semiconductor manufacturing plants. The challenge lies in the scale and complexity of the problem at hand; thousands of wafers must be scheduled on hundreds of machines across several steps while respecting a wide array of operational constraints such as the use of photolithography reticles, timelinks and flow control limits. We begin by surveying the state-of-the art and presenting some key opportunities that arise in the context of global scheduling. The proposed approach is presented, highlighting its hierarchical structure and how it can interface with local toolset schedulers. We present some illustrative examples and aggregate statistics obtained during ongoing trials at Seagate Springtown. We demonstrate that the proposed approach can result in substantial cycle time improvements when compared to myopic dispatch methods and a marked reduction in the need of manual intervention for controlling flows.

More resources

Stay up to date with our latest publications.
Accelerating the Future: Panel Discussion Webinar

This exclusive webinar assembled senior leaders from both front-end fabs and leading solution providers to explore how the semiconductor industry can utilize smart technologies to navigate current and future challenges, as well as the obstacles to adoption. You can now watch the recording on-demand.

White Paper: Autonomous Scheduling Technology

In this white paper, industrial engineers, production controllers, Fab managers, and all those involved in scheduling will learn some of the key benefits of Autonomous Scheduling Technology.

Technical Paper: ASMC 2023

This technical publication from ASMC 2023 focuses on the practical aspects of deploying a novel solution in a critical production environment.

Technical Paper: Journal of Manufacturing Systems 2022

This journal publication delves into the complex problem of batch scheduling with varying batch costs and job timelink constraints at Renesas Electronics.

Technical Paper: Winter Simulation Conference 2021

An in-depth look at how our two-step scheduling approach can be used to manage timelink contraints and batch size to boost fab efficiency.

Efficient Batching Case Study

Discover how Renesas Electronics and Seagate Technology harnessed autonomous scheduling to tackle the complex challenge of efficient batching.

Renesas Electronics Case Study

Learn how we applied multi-objective optimization to the diffusion area at Renesas Electronics to manage three conflicting KPIs.

Fab Management Forum 2022

Recap on the first of two presentations from SEMICON Europa 2022 – featuring case study results from three different wafer fabs, including Renesas and Seagate.

Technical Paper: Winter Simulation Conference 2020

This technical paper provides a comprehensive overview of results from benchmark studies performed for Seagate Technology, where our solution was applied to metrology toolset scheduling.

White Paper

Our white paper details a new approach to wafer fab scheduling. A novel hybrid model that delivers optimized schedules in a matter of minutes to help fabs cut costs and increase efficiency.

Seagate Case Study 1.0

Discover how we helped a highly-utilised Seagate Technology wafer fab reduce cycle time and boost efficiency by applying our next-generation production scheduling solution.

Seagate Case Study 2.0

Learn how applying multi-objective optimization helped to increase throughput whilst reducing reticle moves and queue time.

An Introduction to Flexciton

Gain a comprehensive understanding of where we came from, what we do, and why we’re different with our company introduction.