Modeling a network of MEMS fabrication sites

The MEMS Exchange is a network of MEMS fabrication facilities, wherein wafers are allowed to be processed at multiple sites to provide customers with access to an extremely diverse set of processing capabilities in a very flexible manner. This framework for fabrication of MEMS devices is an instance of a new manufacturing paradigm, which is capable of delivering mass product customization. In two and half years of operation, the MEMS Exchange has completed over 160 custom runs. Data is captured as part of the course of routine MEMS Exchange operations. This data forms the foundation for the models being developed for due date estimation and system capacity management. A discrete event simulation has been written to model fab behavior for varying load and staff availability. This simulator is being used to establish an optimal scheduling algorithm for the manufacturing nodes in order to maximize the network throughput