Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Kuo-Chen Lin

Yu-Yen Chang

Sheng-Rong Huang

Chih-Hung Huang

Ming-Hong Hsieh

Kuo-Fong Chuang

Yi-Chin Hsu

Jiann-Kwang Wang

Wen-Cheng Chin

Chung-Yi Lee

Ching-Chiang Chang

Chi-Pong Chiang

Pei-Yi Kuo

Jun-Bo Chen

A platform for securely mounting a wafer cassette holder thereon is provided which includes a wafer cassette holder that has a flat bottom surface and four sidewall panels, a platform that has a flat top surface larger than and for mating to the flat bottom surface of the wafer cassette holder, And a securing device mounted in the flat top surface of the platform juxtaposed to each side of the four sidewalls of the wafer cassette holder for preventing the holder from accidentally slipping off the platform, the securing device may include either a plurality of engagement pins that slidingly engages the wafer cassette holder for securely holding the holder on the platform, or a plurality of side panels mounted along the peripheral edge of the platform for preventing the holder from slipping off the platform.

Paddle for securely mounting a wafer cassette holder thereto

A new data processing and display method for use in interactive manufacturing process management is achieved. A first variable value, such as WIP, for a manufacturing stage is uploaded from a database and is subtracted from a first target value to obtain a first variable variance. A first variable variance bar is displayed above a stage axis on a graphical display device and is non-filled if the first variable variance is positive and is filled if the first variable variance is negative. A second variable value, such as production moves, is uploaded and is subtracted from a second target value to obtain a second variable variance. A second variable value bar is displayed below the stage axis on the graphical display device and is non-filled. A second variable variance bar is displayed below the second variable value bar on the graphical display device if the second variable variance is positive.

Method and apparatus for displaying production data for improved manufacturing decision making

Within both a stocker apparatus and a method for operating the stocker apparatus there is employed: (1) a minimum of six input/output ports; (2) an array of storage locations for storing an array of work in process (WIP) product units; and (3) a random access transportation means for transporting a work in process (WIP) product unit at least bidirectionally between the minimum of six input/output ports and a storage location within the array of storage locations. Within the stocker apparatus and the method, the minimum of six input/output ports provides for more efficient operation of the stocker apparatus.

Stocker apparatus with increased input/output capacity

A method and system for production line target generation based on unlimited capacity allocation utilizing an algorithm that begins with setting the required delivery date (REQ_DATE) from the customer's purchase order and using the REQ_DATE to define other related requirements by backtracking the production line requirements to determine how many stages need to be passed before delivery, and to decide where and how to setup and arrange the production equipment, in order to complete and deliver the ordered goods on time. Particularly, the processing of each lot is monitored while passing through the processing stages by: calculating the days remaining, D , by subtracting the present date from the initial delivery date, REQ_DATE&minus;TODAY, for each lot; calculating the processing stages remaining for each lot to reach the last processing stage, to determine the remaining stages, S &equals;last processing stage's number&mdash;the instant stage number; and dividing the remaining stages by the remaining days, S /D , to derive the penetration stages per day required for each lot; and then, using the derived penetration stages to target for the movement of the lots through each remaining stage to achieve the production goal in a timely manner.

Target generation system based on unlimited capacity allocation

Within both a stocker apparatus and a method for operating the stocker apparatus there is employed, in addition to: (1) a minimum of one input/output port; (2) an array of storage locations for storing an array of work in process (WIP) product units; and (3) a random access transportation means for transporting a work in process (WIP) product unit at least bidirectionally between the minimum of one input/output port and a storage location within the array of storage locations; (4) a controller for controlling the random access transportation means. Within the stocker apparatus and the method, the controller is programmed such that upon unavailability of the minimum of one input/output port and upon concurrent receipt of a request to retrieve a work in process (WIP) product unit stored within the array of storage locations to reposition the requested work in process (WIP) product unit to a designated storage location within the array of storage locations where it may be manually retrieved.

Stocker apparatus affording manual access

A method and an apparatus for preventing the misplacement of a cassette pod on the loadport of a process machine are described. In the method, a cassette pod that is equipped with an identification tag on a front panel is first provided, a process machine that is equipped with a loadport for receiving the cassette pod is then provided, at least one position verification block is mounted on the loadport at a first preset position, and then at least one position verification finger is mounted on the front panel of the cassette pod corresponding to the first preset position of the at least one position verification block such that when the cassette pod is placed on the loadport, the at least one position verification finger does not interfere with the at least one position verification block.

Apparatus for preventing misplacement of a cassette pod onto a process machine

A method/system for performing dynamic re-scheduling of priorities of work-in-process in a fabrication plant for manufacturing of a product is provided. It reads a key stage report for the work-in-process and a master production schedule for the work-in-process from stored data. It generates a master production schedule report from the key stage report and the master production schedule following only Due_Date data for the work-in-process, and generates a work-in-process distribution matrix for integrating the master production schedule report with work-in-process quantity data within a deliverable cycle time; allocates selected lots from the work-in-process distribution matrix using a snake pattern method to allocate the selected lots from the matrix, and changes the due date for the selected lots of the work-in-process selected by the snake pattern method. It generates a final re-scheduling table for the work-in-process including the selected lots.

Method for performing dynamic re-scheduling of fabrication plant

A system and a method are provided employing the concept of Budget Queue Time to define the priority of lots while distinguishing clearly between the controllable an uncontrollable portions of the remaining production time needed and to make the priority setting further meet the actual status. Two indices X and P are used concurrently to define the priority of a lot. X is the index of the delivery week which indicates the week in which the lot must be out of the fabrication process and P denotes the temporary priority according to the Budget Queue Time, but X is the dominant one of the two indices X and P. Use is made of the concept of remaining Budget Queue Time instead of traditional queue time of current stage for dispatching to reduce the variance of cycle time variance.

Method for allocating lot priority by ranking lots as a function of budget queue time in a manufacturing control system

The invention provides an index of line balance method for maintaining optimum queued quantities of products at a manufacturing step and over an entire manufacturing line. The method begins by: first, assigning a daily standard move of product (Std Move) which should be produced in a manufacturing line. Second, the standard WIP StdWIP is calculated for each manufacturing stage i by multiplying the theoretical cycle time C/T of each stage by the daily standard move StdMove; (i.e., StdWIP=CT*StdMove). Third, the difference Di between the current WIP CWi and standard WIP StdWIP at every stage i. (Di=Cwi-Swi, ) is calculated. Fourth, the cumulative difference CDi between current WIP Cwi and standard WIP StdWIP of every stage i from stage i to stage n is calculated. ##EQU1## Fifth, the index of line balance BIi is calculated by dividing the sum of all positive CDi from stage i to stage n by the absolute value of the sum of all negative CDi from stage i to stage n. Next, the index of line balance BIi for each stage i is plotted as a line chart for each stage i. Lastly, additional production resources (e.g., tools) are allocated to the stages that have an index of line balance BIi greater than 1.2 and production resources are reduced to the stages that have an index of line balance BIi less than 0.80. The method reduces WIP, cycle time and costs by better allocating manufacturing resources.

Method to improve WIP balance in a manufacturing line

In a semiconductor manufacturing fabrication plant with production to-order type operation, hundreds of devices and various processes are managed. To provide short cycle time and precise delivery to satisfy customer expectations is a major task. A dispatching algorithm named 'Required Turn Rate (RTR)' functions according to the level of current wafers in process (WIP) algorithm revising the due date for every lot to satisfy the demand from Master Production Scheduling (MPS). Further the RTR algorithm calculates the RTR of each lot based on process flow to fulfill the delivery requirement. The RTR algorithm determines not only due date and production priority of each lot, but also provides RTR for local dispatching. The local dispatching systems of each working area dispatch the lots by using required turn rate to maximize output and machines utilization.

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Hsin-Chu, Taiwan

Kuo-Chen Lin