A framework for standard modular simulation :

Abstract

This paper presents the application of a framework, proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), for standard modular simulation of semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities or fabs. The application of the proposed framework results in the identification and specification of four different elements in the context of semiconductor fabs: (1) market sector, (2) hierarchical modeling levels, (3) simulation case studies, and (4) models and data. Three examples of the application of the proposed simulation framework are presented by using three semiconductor fab models: the Mini-fab benchmark, Measurement and Improvement of Manufacturing Capacities (MIMAC) data set 1, and the Hewlett-Packard-Wein's model. In these examples, three different case studies are presented, which consisted in the evaluation of production performance under different workforces, dispatching rules, and wafer lot release rates. The proposed simulation framework is by no means considered complete, and future additions and modifications are expected. Our current and future research is focused on the improvement of the proposed framework (e.g., design and testing of generic case studies) as well as the incorporation of the work being conducted by NIST, within the NIST's System Integration of Manufacturing Applications (SIMA) program, towards the standardization of data formats for simulation in manufacturing systems.