Dispatching for make-to-order wafer fabs with machine-dedication and mask set-up characteristics

This paper develops a dispatching algorithm to improve on-time delivery for a make-to-order semiconductor wafer fab with two special characteristics: mask set-up and machine dedication. A new algorithm is proposed for dispatching series workstations. Simulation experiments show that the algorithm outperforms the previous methods both in on-time delivery rate, cycle time, and only slightly less than the best benchmark in throughput. The experiments are carried out in 10 test scenarios, which are created by the combination of two product-mix ratios and five mask set-up times.