Clustertool optimization through scheduling rules

Clustertools play an increasing important role in modern semiconductor fabs. These tools are complex and have a large impact on fab performance. In this paper, a structured approach is presented to give insight in the dynamic behavior of clustertools and to optimize their performance. The approach is applied to the metal area of a waferfab. Scheduling rules are defined for clustertools of this area. A dynamic simulation model is used to evaluate the rules. Experiments show that an average improvement of 8 percent on cycle time and throughput is achieved by usage of scheduling rules.