Integrated design of experimentation and production schedules for customized semiconductor device fabrication services

When a low-volume order of customized fabrication process of semiconductor wafer is placed, experienced fabrication process designers develop a fabrication process sequence together with additional fabrication processes regarded as experimentation that ensures process quality depending on the condition of fabrication facilities, in advance of the actual fabrication process. In this study, an integrated design method of experimentation and production schedules for customized semiconductor wafers while considering the rationale of process designers. The scheduling system is implemented in the miniaturized semiconductor fabrication facilities at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). A test fabrication processes was taken place, and the proposed method is applied to integrated scheduling, whose resulting schedule is compared with the actual test fabrication process.