Title: Decision making for shop floor control integration strategies in wafer fabrication using tabu search-based methodology

Authors: D.Y. Sha, Chao-Yang Liu

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, National Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, ROC. ' Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, National Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan, ROC

Abstract: Controlling the wafer fabrication on the shop floor is extremely difficult owing to the complicated manufacturing processes and reentrant characteristics. Hence, selecting a suitable shop floor control (SFC) strategy for wafer fabrication is very important. This paper focuses on the SFC integration strategies in wafer fabrication. Included in this research are decision problems for order review/release, dispatching and rework strategies. Unlike previous research, in which these three SFC strategies are dealt with separately, this paper will consider these three SFC strategies simultaneously. This paper proposes the tabu search-based methodology that links simulation and tabu search algorithm, used to find the better SFC integration strategies by several specific performance indicators within a reasonable computational time. From the results, this methodology was found to be outstanding for combinations of SFC strategies by different performance indicators.

Keywords: shop floor control; dispatching; order review and release; ORR; rework; wafer fabrication; tabu search algorithm; simulation; semiconductor manufacture; integration strategies; SFC strategy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMTM.2005.006503

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2005 Vol.7 No.1, pp.83 - 103

Published online: 17 Mar 2005 *

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