Simulation in Semiconductor Manufacturing Facilities

Semiconductor manufacturing is one of the most complex industries in terms of technology and manufacturing procedure. The life cycle of a semiconductor facility (FAB) has many phases, in their life cycle including capacity planning, new products introduction, variation of products/technologies, and decline phase. The complexity of the manufacturing and the external forces from markets and technology growth make predicting the effects of changes in the manufacturing system problematic. Simulation, if used correctly, is a powerful hands-on tool which may be used to give a better insight of the effect of engineering/management decisions on the performance of the manufacturing system. While not a panacea for sustainable performance, simulation provides an effective vehicle for defining the path from competitive concepts to real world solutions and gives an opportunity to experiment with, and assess the impact of, production plans, aiding the management and production teams’ decisions. This paper presents some examples of simulation applied to semiconductor manufacturing for performance improvement and costs reduction. Integrating Simulation with Operations Research (OR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), promises to significantly improve the ability to address complex problems for highly complex manufacturing facilities.