Optimized Scheduling for Semiconductor Manufacturing Facilities with Vehicle-Free Transport Systems

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In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, theoretically well-grounded but practicable methods for simultaneous optimization of manufacturing and transport operations are needed. The existing theoretical fundamentals of modeling, analysis and optimization are insufficient for the highly complex and fully automated transport procedures as they prevail in modern semiconductor fabricating facilities. Specifically, there exists very little literature about combined scheduling of manufacturing and intra-plant transports. Furthermore, there are neither academic nor commercial software tools available for this combined scheduling task. Particularly for factories with the emerging, cost-efficient, vehicle-free transport systems, there is no comprehensive theoretical methodology for an integrated optimization realistic manufacturing procedures and transport operations.Consequently, the general goal is stated as follows:Practicable optimization methods for the combined scheduling of manufacturing and transport operations shall be designed, implemented and tested. The methods shall be applicable in real semiconductor fabricating facilities. Hence, the pursued result are optimized intra-plant transport procedures in highly automated semiconductor factories. The derived process and optimization models shall be generated automatically. The individual algorithms shall be implemented as prototypes in a demonstrative way. Additionally, the algorithms shall be tested with practical, industrial examples.In this project mathematical formulations of relevant optimization problems shall be developed on the one hand. On the other hand, novel algorithms for solving these problems shall be researched. Both, problem formulations as well as solving methods, are not only useful in many semiconductor factories. Moreover, the findings will extend the method pool of the research area of scheduling. Hence, the findings will be available for other industries as well. Therefore, the suggested project is fundamental research.