Petri net-based polynomially complex approach to optimal one-wafer cyclic scheduling of hybrid multi-cluster tools in semiconductor manufacturing

Fa Jun Yang, Nai Qi Wu, Yan Qiao, Meng Chu Zhou

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

Due to the different behavior of single-arm and dual-arm cluster tools, it is challenging to schedule a hybrid multi-cluster tool containing both of them. This paper aims to find an optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule for such a multi-cluster tool. It is assumed that the bottleneck individual cluster tool in it is process-bound, thereby making it process-dominant. To do so, this paper models a hybrid multi-cluster tool with Petri nets. With this model, it derives the conditions under which individual cluster tools can operate in a paced way. Based on these conditions, this paper shows that for any process-dominant hybrid multi-cluster tool there is always a one-wafer cyclic schedule. Then, it develops the algorithms to find the minimal cycle time and the optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule. It is computationally efficient and easy-to-implement in practice. Examples are given to show the application and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number6815731
Pages (from-to)1598-1610
Number of pages13
JournalIEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems
Volume44
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2014

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Software
  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Keywords

  • Hybrid multi-cluster tools
  • Petri net (PN)
  • Scheduling
  • Semiconductor manufacturing

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