|
Current IC fab layout may have the following disadvantages: high work-in-process (WIP) level, long wafer move distance, and high utilization of interbay automated material handling system (AMHS). Improvement in the fab design can reduce WIP level, decrease wafer move distance, and decrease AMHS utilization. This research proposes three approaches to apply group technology (GT) to design IC fabs: ROC, Harhalakis two-level, and modified Harhalakis two-level methods. Programming language C combined with Maple are used to implement these algorithms. AutoCAD is used to draw fab layouts. Furthermore, ProModel is used to build simulation models to test the effectiveness of GT algorithms. A 23 x 4 experiment design is used to evaluate the performance of GT algorithms in terms of operation rate, makespan, WIP level, average cycle time, and average wafer move distance. Simulation results show that IC fabs using GT lead to better performance than traditional IC fabs of job shop style.
|