The integration of shop floor control in wafer fabrication

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the interaction among shop floor control (SFC) strategies (order review/release, dispatching, and rework strategies) and its impact on the performance of wafer fabrication. How to select a suitable set of SFC strategies in wafer fabrication is the main topic.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper tried to find the better combination of these strategies by specific performance indicators. A virtual wafer fab is built based on a real case in Taiwan and used for simulation test. Seven ORR rules, eight dispatching rules, and three rework rules are considered in the simulation test.

Findings

The paper finds that the performance of most ORR strategies will be improved when combined with suitable dispatching and rework strategies. But no single strategy can satisfy all performance indicators.

Practical implication

The performance of most ORR strategies will be improved when combined with suitable dispatching and rework strategies. No single strategy can satisfy all performance indicators. In practice, we should choose SFC strategies carefully based on the system conditions. Furthermore, ORR, dispatching, and rework strategies cannot be separately considered. Instead, they should be combined and integrated for improving the system performance.

Originality/value

Simulation tests and statistical analysis are done for three kinds of SFC strategies on a virtual wafer fab. The suitable combinations of SFC strategies for different performance indicators are suggested in this paper. The selection of ORR, dispatching and rework rules in wafer fabrication are discussed in the paper.

Citation

Hsu, S.Y. and Sha, D.Y. (2007), "The integration of shop floor control in wafer fabrication", Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 598-619. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410380710752680