Combined scheduling algorithm for re-entrant batch-processing machines in semiconductor wafer manufacturing

Abstract

In this paper, a new combined scheduling algorithm is proposed to address the problem of minimising total weighted tardiness on re-entrant batch-processing machines (RBPMs) with incompatible job families in the semiconductor wafer fabrication system (SWFS). The general combined scheduling algorithm forms batches according to parameters from the real-time scheduling simulation platform (ReS²), and then sequences batches through slack-based mixed integer linear programming model (S-MILP), which is defined as batch-oriented combined scheduling algorithm. The new combined scheduling algorithm obtains families’ parameters from ReS² and then sequences these families through modified S-MILP, which is defined as family-oriented combined scheduling algorithm. With rolling horizon control strategy, two combined scheduling algorithms can update RBPMs scheduling continually. The experiments are implemented on ReS² of SWFS and ILOG CPLEX, respectively. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods.

Keywords:

• re-entrant batch-processing machine
• batch-oriented combined scheduling algorithm
• family-oriented combined scheduling algorithm
• rolling horizon control strategy

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the National Science and Technology Major Special Projects (2011ZX02501-005), Research Grant from National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.50475027) and University Provincial Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province (Variable time windows-based to research the scheduling problem of the batch-processing machine in re-entrant and complicated manufacturing system).