Patent ID: 6574521
Filing Date: 2003-06-03
Classification: G05B,G06Q,Y02P

Abstract:
A method for managing within a fabrication facility a work-in-process (WIP) workload comprising:providing a fabrication facility comprising: a plurality of fabrication tools which perform an equivalent fabrication function; and at least one quantity of existing work-in-process (WIP) workload which requires multiple sequential processing within only one fabrication tool within the plurality of fabrication tools which perform the equivalent fabrication function; determining for the plurality of fabrication tools which perform the equivalent fabrication function a plurality of tool loading coefficients which take into consideration complete processing of the at least one quantity of work-in-process (WIP) workload which requires multiple sequential processing within the only one fabrication tool within the plurality of fabrication tools which perform the equivalent fabrication function; introducing into the fabrication facility a quantity of new work-in-process (WIP) workload which also requires multiple sequential processing within only one fabrication tool within the plurality of fabrication tools which performs the equivalent fabrication function, wherein the quantity of new work-in-process (WIP) workload is allocated to a fabrication tool within the plurality of fabrication tools which perform the equivalent fabrication function having a most favorable tool loading coefficient within the plurality of tool loading coefficients.