Using emulation to validate a cluster tool simulation model

Getting the most productivity per square foot of clean room space is a common goal for today's semiconductor fabs. Cluster tool throughput is an important factor in a tool's productivity index. Maximizing and accurately predicting throughput is a high priority in the cluster tool market. This paper presents a flexible and sufficiently accurate cluster tool simulation model. The simulation model can run as an emulator, using the real-world cluster tool scheduler (CTS), or as a stand-alone simulation model using a rule-based scheduler. The process of validating the stand-alone simulation rule-based scheduler against the actual cluster tool scheduler is discussed. A comparison between the two schedulers is detailed. Finally, the results, benefits, and limitations of the simulation model are presented.