Utility-based dynamic control of batch processing systems

Most research studies in semiconductor manufacturing systems are focused on optimizing performance which is to minimize cycle time and tardiness. However, in long production cycles, the utility (value) of commodities vary depending on the time after an epoch such as due-date which affects contractual penalties and loss of customer goodwill. It is necessary to reflect utility of commodities at decision epoch to decide on the optimal strategy such as minimum batch size in MBS (minimum batch size) model or optimal processing epoch in DBH (dynamic batching heuristic) model. This research explores how utility can be used to strategically control MBS model and DBH model.