US 12,451,381 B2
Scheduling multiple production steps under Q-time constraints in semiconductor manufacturing
Weiping Shi, Austin, TX (US)
Filed by Weiping Shi, Austin, TX (US)
Filed on Jun. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/852,343.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/216,183, filed on Jun. 29, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0415681 A1, Dec. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 21/67 (2006.01); G05B 19/418 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/67276 (2013.01) [G05B 19/4188 (2013.01); G05B 2219/45031 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
dividing, by a processor of a manufacturing execution system (MES), a time axis associated with a time window for scheduling into a plurality of time slots;
assigning an integer value to an integer variable indexed by a slot identifier, a machine identifier, and a wafer lot identifier;
specifying one or more constraints based on the integer variable, wherein the one or more constraints comprise a wafer quantity constraint and a Q-time constraint;
executing an optimization solver under the one or more constraints to determine a time and a quantity of wafer lots to be provided to each machine associated with the time window;
issuing a request to a controller to cause provision of the quantity of wafer lots to each machine associated with each step in the time window; and
responsive to receiving the request, the controller provisioning the quantity of wafer lots to each machine associated with each step in the time window.