The integration of shop floor
control in wafer fabrication
S.Y. Hsu
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management,
Chienkuo Technology University, Changhua, Taiwan, Republic of China, and
D.Y. Sha
Department of Business Administration, Asia University,
Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the interaction among shop floor control (SFC)
strategies (order review/release, dispatching, and rework strategies) and its impact on the performance
of wafer fabrication. How to select a suitable set of SFC strategies in wafer fabrication is the main
topic.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper tried to find the better combination of these strategies
by specific performance indicators. A virtual wafer fab is built based on a real case in Taiwan and
used for simulation test. Seven ORR rules, eight dispatching rules, and three rework rules are
considered in the simulation test.
Findings – The paper finds that the performance of most ORR strategies will be improved when
combined with suitable dispatching and rework strategies. But no single strategy can satisfy all
performance indicators.
Practical implication – The performance of most ORR strategies will be improved when combined
with suitable dispatching and rework strategies. No single strategy can satisfy all performance
indicators. In practice, we should choose SFC strategies carefully based on the system conditions.
Furthermore, ORR, dispatching, and rework strategies cannot be separately considered. Instead, they
should be combined and integrated for improving the system performance.
Originality/value – Simulation tests and statistical analysis are done for three kinds of SFC
strategies on a virtual wafer fab. The suitable combinations of SFC strategies for different
performance indicators are suggested in this paper. The selection of ORR, dispatching and rework
rules in wafer fabrication are discussed in the paper.
Keywords Shopfloor, Production planning and control, Despatch, Semiconductors, Taiwan
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Semiconductor chip is a complex device that consists of miniaturized electronic
components and their connections. There are five steps in semiconductor manufacturing:
wafer fabrication, wafer probe, device assembly, class test, and final test. Wafer
fabrication is most technologically complex and capital intensive. Since, required capital
investment is extremely large, the implementation of an improved shop floor control (SFC)
strategy could result in a considerable amount of increase in profit. It is challenging
to develop the SFC strategy for a wafer fab due to the long flow time, ever-changing
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The authors acknowledge the subvention from National Science Council (NSC) in Taiwan,
Project: NSC 91-2213-E-009-113.
Shop floor
control in wafer
fabrication
599
Received November 2005
Revised May 2006
Accepted July 2006
Journal of Manufacturing Technology
Management
Vol. 18 No. 5, 2007
pp. 599-620
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1741-038X
DOI 10.1108/17410380710752680