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

在半导体制造业中，需要理论上有良好基础但实际可行的方法来同时优化制造和运输操作。现有的建模、分析和优化的理论基础对于高度复杂和全自动的运输过程是不够的，因为它们在现代半导体制造设施中普遍存在。具体而言，存在很少的文献，关于制造和厂内运输的联合调度。此外，既没有学术也没有商业软件工具可用于这种组合调度任务。特别是对于新兴的、具有成本效益的、无车辆运输系统的工厂，还没有全面的理论方法来综合优化实际的制造过程和运输操作。因此，总体目标如下：设计、实施和测试用于制造和运输操作的组合调度的实用优化方法。该方法应适用于真实的半导体制造设施。因此，追求的结果是在高度自动化的半导体工厂中优化厂内运输程序。应自动生成派生过程和优化模型。各个算法应以示范方式作为原型实现。此外，还应通过实际的工业实例对算法进行测试。在本项目中，一方面应开发相关优化问题的数学公式。另一方面，应研究解决这些问题的新算法。问题公式和解决方法不仅在许多半导体工厂中有用。此外，研究结果将扩展调度研究领域的方法池。因此，调查结果也将适用于其他行业。因此，建议的项目是基础研究。

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.