A heuristic approach for scheduling multi-chip packages for semiconductor backend assembly

The processes in which the multi-chip packages (MCP) positions the multiple dies to one lead frame pose great challenges to production scheduling in the semiconductor backend assembly environment. A MCP scheduling problem is also called the multi-pass scheduling problem, as multiple passes are carried out on the same operation sequentially. Such a scheduling problem does not belong to any of the conventional scheduling categories and its constraints are much more complex to tackle. This paper describes a practical realization of a heuristics approach for scheduling MCP problem. The enhanced daily production scheduling (DPS) engine is capable of modeling the real production constraints, resulting in a more realistic and practical schedule which can be followed closely by the production supervisors, eliminating the ad-hoc and error-prone manual practices.