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Optimal K-unit cycle scheduling of two-cluster tools with residency constraints and general robot moving times

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Abstract

The semiconductor manufacturing industry is significantly expensive both in equipment and materials. Cluster tools, a type of automated manufacturing system integrating processing modules and transport modules, are commonly used in this industry. Nowadays, multi-cluster tools, which are composed of several cluster tools connected by joint buffer modules, are often used for wafer production. This paper deals with K-unit cycle scheduling problems in single-armed two-cluster tools for processing identical wafers in deterministic settings. In a K-unit cycle, K wafers are exactly inserted into the two-cluster tool, and K completed wafers leave the two-cluster tool, usually not the same K wafers. Residency constraints and general moving times by the robot are both considered. The objective is to obtain optimal K-unit cycle schedules, which minimize cycle times. To analyze this scheduling problem in detail, a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is formulated and solved. Numerical examples are used to explain how the solution can be obtained from the MILP model in a K-unit cycle.

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Acknowledgments

The work described in this paper was supported by a Research Grant from General Research Fund (GRF) of Hong Kong (RGC # CityU 113609).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China

    Xin Li & Richard Y. K. Fung

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  1. Xin Li
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  2. Richard Y. K. Fung
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Correspondence to Richard Y. K. Fung.

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Li, X., Fung, R.Y.K. Optimal K-unit cycle scheduling of two-cluster tools with residency constraints and general robot moving times. J Sched 19, 165–176 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10951-015-0448-7

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