Sameer T. Shikalgar

300 mm wafer fabrication line simulation model

The importance of semiconductor wafer fabrication has been increasing steadily over the past decade. Wafer fabrication is the most technologically complex and capital intensive phase in semiconductor manufacturing. It involves the processing of wafers of silicon in order to build up layers and patterns of metal and wafer material. Many operations have to be performed in a clean room environment to prevent particulate contamination of wafers. Also, since the machines on which the wafers are processed are expensive, service contention is an important concern. All these factors underline the importance of seeking policies to design and operate them efficiently. We describe a simulation model of a planned 300 mm wafer fabrication line that we are using to make strategic decisions related to the factory.

Improvements to a Range Management System in an Automated Wafer Fabrication Fab

The Range Management system was implemented in IBMs 300 mm fab located in Hopewell Junction, NY. The fab processes a diverse mix of low and high volume production technologies in conjunction with processing development hardware for future technologies. The implementation of the Range Management system was modified to take advantage of the automated functioning of the fab which has resulted in substantial productivity improvements.