Abstract
Semiconductor industry is one of the most important industries in the world. One current trend of this industry is the increase of wafer size, from 300 to 450 mm, to improve throughput and lower cost. However, this change also brings challenge for 450-mm wafer fabs. One challenge is the difficulty of moving and handling the 450-mm wafers due to their increased size and weight. Another challenge is the need to prioritize lots in the shop floor so that hots can receive fast service to satisfy customer needs. Due to some specific advantages, the conveyor-based automated material handling system (AMHS) has been considered to be the next-generation transportation system for wafer transport in a 450-mm wafer fab. However, this kind of systems remains to have some problems, such as optimizing its performance, particularly with transport congestion. Hence, this study proposes a new heuristic preemptive dispatching method, termed remaining time algorithm (RTA), to operate an AMHS based on activated roller belt (ARB). In addition, the loop structure of the AMHS has been rearranged and some buffer components have been added into this AMHS. To investigate its effectiveness, the RTA has been compared to two previously proposed dispatching methods, the new heuristic preemptive dispatching belt (a-HPDB) in Wang et al. (Appl Sci 7:780, 2017) and the heuristic preemptive dispatching belt (HPDB) in Wang et al. (Comput Ind Eng 96:52–60, 2016). In terms of average lot delivery time, the simulation results show that for hot lots, the RTA is 1.38% and 8.77% better than the a-HPDB and HPDB, respectively; for normal lots, the RTA is 14.49% and 28.39% better than the a-HPDB and HPDB, respectively. Hence, the RTA is concluded being an effective dispatching method that can better deal with congestion problem, improve lot delivery time, and yield better system performance.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
300mm–450mm-wafer-issues-and-market-trends. Available online: https://electronicsca.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/300mm-450mm-wafer-issues-and-market-trends/ (Accessed 15 Jan 2018)
International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors. Available online: http://www.itrs.net/ITRS%201999-2014%20Mtgs,%20Presentations%20&%20Links/ 2012ITRS/2012Chapters/2012Overview.pdf (Accessed 25 Feb 2017)
Liao DY, Wang CN (2006) Differentiated preemptive dispatching for automatic materials handling services in 300 mm semiconductor foundry. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 29(9–10):890–896. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-005-2610-4
ISMI 450 mm industry briefing. Available online: http://www.sematech.org/meetings/archives/450mm/10223/ (Accessed 18 Nov 2017)
Nazzal D, Jimenez JA, Johnson AL, Lasrado V (2010) An analytical model for conveyor-based material handling system with crossovers in semiconductor wafer fabs. IEEE Trans Semicond Manuf 23(3):468–476. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSM.2010.2051736
Wang CN, Lee YH, Hsu HP, Dang VH (2017) The heuristic preemptive dispatching rule using stocker for conveyor-based material handling system of 450 mm wafer fabrication. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 88(5):2179–2189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-016-8908-6
FlexSim Simulation Software. Available online: http://www.flexsim.com (Accessed 13 Nov 2017)
Ehteshami B, Petrakian RB, Shabe PM (1992) Trade-offs in cycle time management: hot lots. IEEE Trans Semicond Manuf 5(2):101–106. https://doi.org/10.1109/66.136270
Wang CN, Chen LC (2012) The heuristic preemptive dispatching method of material transportation system in 300 mm semiconductor fabrication. J Intell Manuf 23(5):2047–2056. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10845-011-0531-7
Li L, Sun Z, Zhou MC, Qiao F (2013) Adaptive dispatching rule for semiconductor wafer fabrication facility. IEEE Trans Autom Sci Eng 10(2):354–364. https://doi.org/10.1109/TASE.2012.2221087
Ma Y, Qiao F, Zhao F, Sutherland JW (2017) Dynamic scheduling of a semiconductor production line based on a composite rule set. Appl Sci 7(10):1052. https://doi.org/10.3390/app7101052
Yoon S, Kim J, Jeong S (2017) The optimal decision combination in semiconductor manufacturing. Sustainability 9(10):1788. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101788
Wang CN, Wang YH, Hsu HP, Trinh TT (2016) Using rotacaster in the heuristic preemptive dispatching method for conveyor-based material handling of 450 mm wafer fabrication. IEEE Trans Semicond Manuf 29(3):230–238. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSM.2016.2587755
Wang CN, Lee YH, Hsu HP, Nguyen DH (2016) The heuristic preemptive dispatching method for convey-based automated material handling system of 450mm wafer fabrication. Comput Ind Eng 96:52–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2016.03.017
Wang CN, Hsu HP, Tran VV (2017) An improved dispatching method (a-HPDB) for automated material handling system with active rolling belt for 450 mm wafer fabrication. Appl Sci 7(8):780. https://doi.org/10.3390/app7080780
Intralox, the Can Industry Leader, Showcases Its Solutions at Cannex. Available online: http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/intralox-the-can-industry-leader-showcases-its-solutions-at-cannex-2007-505641 (Accessed 15 Feb 2018)
Acknowledgments
The authors appreciate the support from the National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Sciences and Technology in Taiwan and Foxconn Electronics Inc. in Vietnam.
Funding
This research was partly supported by MOST107-2622-E-992-012-CC3 from the Ministry of Sciences and Technology in Taiwan.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, CN., Hsu, HP., Dang, DC. et al. The remaining time concept for dispatching on roller belt conveyor in 450-mm wafer fabrications. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 102, 3641–3655 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-019-03411-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-019-03411-z