Semiconductor Lot Loading Sequence for Idle-Time Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional semiconductor manufacturing technologies struggle to efficiently manage manufacturing time when the number of processors and loader-unloaders is determined for each manufacturing lot, leading to inefficiencies and increased waiting times.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor manufacturing device and method that utilizes a plurality of processors and loader-unloaders, where objects are treated in single units, predicts early completion of treatments, and transfers manufacturing lots to empty loader-unloaders before finishing, thereby optimizing processor utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the processor for treating is determined for each manufacturing lot according to customer specifications, then manufacturing flexibility and adaptability are improved, but manufacturing time increases due to waiting intervals and idle periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by predicting which processor will finish treatment early and proactively carrying the next manufacturing lot into the currently empty loader-unloader before the current treatment completes. This advance preparation eliminates waiting intervals and ensures continuous processor operation while maintaining the ability to handle different customer specifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention ensures continuity of useful action by preventing idle periods in processors. Through prediction of early completion and proactive lot transfer, the system maintains continuous treatment operations across multiple processors, eliminating the waiting intervals that would otherwise occur when processors become idle after completing a manufacturing lot.
2Productivity
If multiple loader-unloaders are provided with more than the number of processors, then processor utilization is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service through automated prediction and control mechanisms. The control system automatically predicts which processor will finish early, determines the optimal next lot, and executes the transfer to the appropriate empty loader-unloader without manual intervention. This automation manages the complexity of having multiple loader-unloaders while maximizing processor utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring treatment progress and using this information to predict completion times. This feedback loop enables the control system to make informed decisions about when and where to transfer the next manufacturing lot, optimizing the use of multiple loader-unloaders to improve processor utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor manufacturing including plurality of processors and a number of loader-unloaders exceeding thereof. Each object to be treated is transported to a processor in a single unit and treated, and then is transported to the loader-unloader. The manufacturing lot of the object to be treated by each processor is carried into each loader-unloader while the remaining loader-unloader is left empty, thereafter each of the processors starts treatment, and while the object to be treated is being treated by each processor, based on manufacturing information of the object to be treated for each processor, the processor that finishes treatment relatively early is predicted, and before finishing the treatment by each processor, the manufacturing lot to be treated by the processor that has been predicted to finish treatment relatively early is carried into the loader-unloader that is currently empty.