Scheduling system and method

• US 7,574,278 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Lafoy, Julia, Shepheard, Mark, Heskin, James
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US12/181,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20080281454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 700 95- 97, 700 99-103, 700/108, 700/111, 700/112, 700/114, 700/117, 700/121, 702/176, 705 7- 9, 705/22, 705/28, 414/222.01, 438/758, 438/907, 438/908
• US Class Current: 700/101
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32258 Resource, machine assignment preferences, actual and anticipated load
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32263 Afo products, their components to be manufactured, lot selective
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for scheduling in a wafer fab. The method comprising means for weighting inventories according to at least one of logpoints or reticle, and photolithography units, means for scheduling one of said inventories on one of said photolithography units, wherein said one of said inventories has a maximal weighting and means for eliminating any of said inventories not scheduled according to constraints.

Claims

1. An apparatus for scheduling in a wafer fab, comprising:

(a) means for weighting inventories according to at least one of logpoints or reticle, and photolithography units;

(b) means for scheduling one of said inventories on one of said photolithography units, wherein said one of said inventories has a maximal weighting; and

(c) means for eliminating any of said inventories not scheduled according to constraints.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a means for repeating the scheduling in the wafer fab, wherein said repetition schedules at least of not-scheduled or not-eliminated inventory.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said inventories are denoted by the dependent variable WIP_(LP,scanner) with the independent variable LP designating at least one of a logpoint or reticle, and the independent variable scanner designating photolithography unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said means for weighting of claim 1 comprises a multiplication of at least one of WIP_(LP,scanner) or WIP_{(reticle,scanner)} by the fraction at least one of WIP_(LP,scanner)/max_M (WIP_(M,scanner)) or WIP_{(reticle,scanner)}/max_M (WIP_(M,scanner)), where max_M (WIP_(M,scanner)) denotes for each value of the scanner variable the maximum of at least one of WIP_(LP,scanner) or WIP_{(reticle,scanner)} with respect to the at least one of LP or reticle variable.

5. A system for scheduling in a wafer fab, comprising:

(a) means for weighting inventories according to at least one of logpoints or reticles, and photolithography units;

(b) means for scheduling one of said inventories on one of said photolithography units wherein said one of said inventories has a maximal weighting; and

(c) means for eliminating any of said inventories not scheduled according to constraints.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising a means for repeating the scheduling in the wafer fab, wherein said repetition schedules at least of not-scheduled or not-eliminated inventory.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said inventories are denoted by at least one of a dependent variable WIP_{(reticle,scanner)} or WIP_(LP,scanner) with the at least one of an independent variable reticle or logpoint designating at least one of a reticle or logpoint, and the independent variable scanner designating photolithography unit.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said means for weighting comprises multiplication of at least one of WIP_{(reticle,scanner)} or WIP_(LP,scanner) by the fraction at least one of WIP_{(reticle,scanner)}/max_M (WIP_(M,scanner)) or WIP_(LP,scanner)/max_M (WIP_(M,scanner)) where max_M (WIP_(M,scanner)) denotes for each value of the scanner variable the maximum of at least one of WIP_{(reticle,scanner)} or WIP_(LP,scanner) with respect to the at least one of reticle or logpoint variable.