Fab simulation with recipe arrangement of tools

Presented in this paper is a FAB simulation framework considering the recipe arrangement problem of FAB tools. It is known that the WIP fluctuation is mainly caused by improper dispatching rules. Practical point of view, however, there is another cause of the WIP imbalance. We call the problem as a “recipe arrange problem of tools”. A FAB consists of multiple tool groups, and each tool group has multiple tools (machine devices). Currently, FAB tools belonging to the same tool group are assumed to perform the same set of recipes (operations). Practically, however, this is not true. Since FAB tools are extremely sensitive, tools even belonging to the same tool group are assigned different recipes with high yield. We developed a simulation model including the recipe arrangement problem by modifying MIMAC6, and conducted simulation with SEEPLAN® developed by the VMS solutions. The simulation result shows that it is necessary to have not only dispatching rules, but also arranging rules are required to minimize the WIP fluctuations in a FAB.