Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Matsushita Electronics Corporation

Hiroaki Ishizuka

Shigeru Matsumoto

Kyoji Yamashita

In the method for determining a preceding wafer, at least one semiconductor wafer is determined as a preceding wafer among a plurality of semiconductor wafers constituting one lot. The preceding wafer is then subjected to a given process among a plurality of processes for fabrication of a semiconductor device. The determination of the preceding wafer is based on processing results of an upstream process among the plurality of processes performed for the plurality of semiconductor wafers prior to the given process. After examination of processing results of the given process on the preceding wafer, the given process is performed for the plurality of semiconductor wafers other than the preceding wafer.

Method for determining a preceding wafer, method for determining a measuring wafer, and method for adjusting the number of wafers

An apparatus for controlling the progress of product processing comprises: processing state control means for controlling the states of processing for a plurality of products in a plurality of apparatus composing a production line; processing progress sensing means for sensing the progress of processing for a first product of the plurality of products based on the states of processing for the plurality of products; processing schedule extracting means for extracting a processing schedule for the first product from predetermined processing schedules for the plurality of products; and processing priority changing means for changing, based on the result of a comparison between the progress of processing for the first product and the processing schedule for the first product, a processing priority for a second product of the plurality of products which is related to the first product.

Method and apparatus for controlling progress of product processing

In a production line for obtaining a final product by performing a plurality of process steps on each of a plurality of products, when one of the process steps is finished, measured data is obtained by measuring the characteristics of a product on which the process step has been performed. Based on the measured data obtained, the performance of a final product is expected. And based on the expected performance of the final product, the number of products estimatingly finished for each performance rank thereof is calculated.

Method for controlling production line

Method for determining a preceding wafer group

At a first step, there is retrieved, out of the products placed in the production line, each product for which the j.sub.n (i)th process of each product i, i.e., each process P(i, j.sub.n (i)), has not yet been executed but for which each process P(i, j.sub.n (i)-1) serving as the previous process of each process P(i, j.sub.n (i)), has been executed. At a second step, (i) there are retrieved, for each product retrieved at the first step, one or more processable processes each of which can be executed subsequent to each process P(i, j.sub.n (i)-1), (ii) there are also calculated the sum totals of the production costs of the products i or the sum totals of the delivery delay terms of the products i at the time when one or more processes out of the retrieved one or more processable processes are executed subsequent to the process P(i, j.sub.n (i)-1), (iii) and there are selected, as one or more subsequent processes, the one or more processable processes corresponding to the smallest sum total of the production costs of the products i or to the smallest sum total of the delivery delay terms of the products i. At a third step, there is prepared a production program for executing, subsequent to each process P(i, j.sub.n (i)-1), each of the one or more processable processes selected by the second step.

Production scheduling method and production scheduling apparatus

A variable F (a, n) defined by Equation (1) (wherein k (a, n) is a constant set on a step P (a, n) which is the nth step of a product a, Tave (a, n) is an average wait time for the same step as the step P (a, n) which is obtained from the past processing results, Tw1 (a, n) is a processing wait time which is a time difference between a processing end time for a step P (a, n--1) and a processing start time for the step P (a, n), N (a) is a final step for the product a, Te (a, N(a)) is a end time for a final step P (a, N(a)), Tout (a) is a target delivery date for The product a, and E (a) is the number of steps in which the product a is not yet processed) is set on all manufacturing steps of a product which is put in a manufacturing line. The processing start and end times for each step are determined in such a manner that the absolute value of the variable F (a, n) is smaller than a preset constant Fmax which is equal to or greater than 0 so that an initial manufacturing project is formed. The initial manufacturing project is corrected so as not to violate preset constraint conditions. Equation (1) equals: ##EQU1##

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Kyoto, Japan

Hiroaki Ishizuka