Abstract:
A new mechanism is provided that allows for changing the status of product in a product ordering an shipment system from products that is allocated to a customer to product that becomes available to potentially another customer. A Capacity Allocation Supported Demand (CASD) file is maintained that contains customer data and therewith, on a per customer basis, product source, a balance of product allocated to the customer and product data. At the time that an order is placed, this file is interrogated to determine if enough product is available for shipment. For instances where this is not the case, a rule based search is performed to locate product that can be allocated. An Available To Promise (ATP) file is instrumental in this search, a successful search is concluded with allocating the product to the customer order and updating the CASD and ATP files.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    (1) Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention relates to the fabrication of integrated circuit devices, and more particularly, to a method for improved order placement and prioritizing.  
           [0003]    (2) Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    For the creation and delivery of semiconductor devices, technical capabilities of device creation must be supported by and be complementary to capabilities of device ordering and device shipment. In both of these disciplines there potentially exists a wide margin of error that can as a first for instance result in poor device quality and as a second for instance in non-optimized shipment of devices.  
           [0005]    System requirements of a system that supports shipment of semiconductor devices must meet customer expectations of quick response time and of maintaining precise and up-to-date delivery schedules of product that is shipped to a variety of customers. These latter requirements must be integrated in a smooth manner with production capabilities and production schedules, any mismatch between product that is required and product that is being manufactured is likely to result in customer dissatisfaction. The manufacturing operations must thereby be performed in a cost-effective manner, which in most cases requires an optimum usage of manufacturing equipment, an optimum product mix and optimized equipment maintenance.  
           [0006]    In many ways therefore can it be stated that an ordering system drives a manufacturing facility, product is committed to numerous customers on a long term and short term basis while the ordering system must be capable of quick response and updating of any input that changes existing delivery schedules and commitments, based on customer requirements.  
           [0007]    The product ordering system must thereby function and be designed for a manufacturing facility that is complex and multi-faceted and may comprise such manufacturing aspects as handling one-time, specific orders, providing special products that are not part of conventional processing cycles, simultaneously providing products of different type, re-cycling product and the like. From all of this it is clear that a system that is required to handle customer orders must be all-inclusive and must yet remain flexible so that existing conditions of customer orders can be changed with short term notice.  
           [0008]    In a conventional customer ordering system, a Central Planning Department (CPD) controls and supervises system content and operation and maintains data that reflect, on a per-customer basis, product that is allocated to customers and product that has been ordered by the customers, this in a file that for this purpose is typically referred to as a Customer Allocation Support and Demand (CASD) function. This conventional function suffers the disadvantage that an order, when placed, cannot be instantaneously placed but is only entered and activated at the time that a Total Order Management (TOM) batch run is executed. A TOM batch run is conventionally scheduled at about eight hour intervals, in view of the requirements that are placed on the TOM execution.  
           [0009]    To enhance system turn-around for customer orders, it is of benefit to improve this method, whereby a customer order when placed can be directly and without time-delay entered into the system, that is entered into the conventional CASD. The invention provides such a function.  
           [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,960 (Lin et al.) shows a WIP balance and scheduling system.  
           [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,716 (Chin et al.) shows a dynamic lot dispatching system.  
           [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,326 (Tai et al.) shows another dynamic lot Dispatching system.  
           [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,626 (Lilly et al.) teaches a scheduling method.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    A principal objective of the invention is to provide a rule-based mechanism for automatically swapping allocated product with product that can be committed to a customer.  
           [0015]    In accordance with the objectives of the invention a new mechanism is provided that allows for changing the status of product in a product ordering an shipment system from products that is allocated to a customer to product that becomes available to potentially another customer. A Capacity Allocation Supported Demand (CASD) file is maintained that contains customer data and therewith, on a per customer basis, product source, a balance of product allocated to the customer and product data. At the time that an order is placed, this file is interrogated to determine if enough product is available for shipment. For instances where this is not the case, a rule-based search is performed to locate product that can be allocated. An Available To Promise (ATP) file is instrumental in this search, a successful search is concluded with allocating the product to the customer order and updating the CASD and ATP files. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a prior art order-processing scheme.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the order-processing scheme of the invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 shows a high-level flowchart of the interaction of system components of the order-processing scheme of the invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 shows tree-chart of a hierarchical product structure that is used by the invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 provides details of search priorities that are used by the invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]    The basic concept on which the invention is based is that a semiconductor manufacturing facility sells or commits wafer capacity to customers. The customers forecast their demand in advance, that is the customers provide the expected product need to the manufacturing facility. The Capacity Allocation Support and Demand (CASD) function maintains a record of the manufacturing capability that is committed to a customer.  
         [0022]    Conventional record format of the CASD function is first highlighted. This will be done by highlighting the records or entries that are maintained by the CASD function without thereby providing detail about record length (the number of bytes per record) or record implementation or methods of storing or accessing the records. These performance and implementation parameters are not germane to the invention.  
         [0023]    The CASD record contains the following entries:  
         [0024]    AREA, for instance A00, that is the geographic location of the customer, which may be a country, a location within a country, etc.  
         [0025]    Customer, customer identification, for instance A398, which identifies a customer within a given geographic location  
         [0026]    Fab, the fabrication facility within the manufacturing facility to which the CASD record relates, for instance 41  
         [0027]    Allo Month, a time entrance, such as 200108, which indicates the calendar month for which the product within this CASD record is allocated to the customer of this CASD record; for instance product “X” is allocated to customer “Y” for the month of “Z”  
         [0028]    Balance, a balance entry, for instance 400, which indicates the number of wafers that the facility owes or has committed to this customer, the Balance therefore equals the number of wafers promised (to the customer) minus the number of wafer shipped, this within the month of allocation (Allo Month)  
         [0029]    MICR, the technology of the product that has been allocated to this customer for the Allo Month, for instance 0.13 μm, 0.18 μm, etc.  
         [0030]    FUNC, the functional group of the product that has been allocated to the customer for the Allo Month, for instance logic chip, memory chip, etc., noted as for instance LL01  
         [0031]    METL, the number of layers of metal that must be applied to the product that is allocated to the customer for the Allo Month, for instance 7  
         [0032]    POLY, the number of polysilicon layers that must be applied for the product that is allocated to the customer for the Allo Month, for instance 1  
         [0033]    LINE, the type of order that is pending for this customer, for instance F (Full) indicating that the wafers are to be delivered when completed, B (Bank) indicating that the wafers are to be stored or banked to the point in time where the customer indicates a need for the wafers  
         [0034]    BUSI, the type of business in which the customer is engaged, entered as for instance C  
         [0035]    WAFE, the unit if measure of the order, that is the customer order is for wafers or for packages of for die  
         [0036]    TEST, is testing required prior to delivery of the order, entered as Y (yes) or N (no), and  
         [0037]    CSTN, the dimension of the mask that is applied for the creation of the product, for instance a 5X mask.  
         [0038]    The above highlighted record is maintained by the CASD function and, as previously indicated, reflects the allocation of the manufacturing capability to a customer. The CASD record is typically and significantly a six-month forecast. The CASD record is, from an operational point of view, a planning record.  
         [0039]    The CASD record is balanced against the Order record, the Order record reflecting an actual detailed order submitted to the manufacturing facility by the customer.  
         [0040]    All data entry records that have been highlighted above for the CASD record are maintained for the Order record with the exception of the Balance record which, in the Order record, is a Request entry indicating the actual quantity of product that is requested at the instant that the Order is submitted by the customer to the manufacturing facility.  
         [0041]    The indicated similarity in record layout between the CASD record and the Order record does not imply that the entries in both fields are the same, these entries are in fact expected to be at variance since the CASD record represents a (best can do) function while the Order record represents an actual situation of the customer order.  
         [0042]    The CASD record and the Order record may vary in a number of entries, such as the MICR (technology), the METL (layers of metal required), TEST (to test or not to test prior to shipment) while it is basically to be expected that the number of Requested units may vary with the number of the Balance of the units that are committed to the customer. For any of these variations an action is taken by the invention that allows for direct updating of the customer order.  
         [0043]    The conventional method of processing an order will first be summarized using FIG. 1, wherein have been highlighted:  
         [0044]    step  10 , incoming orders are processed the CASD record of the customer is accessed  
         [0045]    [0045] 12 , if the CASD has a favorable Balance, that is the Request quantity in the Order record is equal to or less than the Balance quantity in the CASD record, product is available for this customer so that the product can be shipped to the customer  
         [0046]    [0046] 14 , commit the product to the customer by establishing a commit date to the customer for the product  
         [0047]    [0047] 16 , if the Balance is not adequate for this customer, the product is allocated by reprioritizing the product that is contained in the CASD records and by swapping (re-assigning) product from one (or more) customer(s) to the order and customer that is being analyzed, and  
         [0048]    [0048] 18 , after the CASD records have been swapped and the order for the customer has been satisfied, a Total Order Management (TOM) batch run is invoked; it must thereby be remembered that the TOM batch run is only periodically performed, incurring a delay in the processing of the customer order.  
         [0049]    The TOM batch run function  18  provides a commit date by the manufacturing facility to the customer. The Order function represents daily orders received from one or more customers, the swap CASD function  16  is a manual operation that is conventionally performed by Customer Service (CS) personnel and is not implied to be an automatic, computer controlled function.  
         [0050]    The flow of the new method of processing orders, as provided by the instant invention, is now highlighted using FIG. 2.  
         [0051]    The flow that is shown in FIG. 2 first determines relevant conditions of the order prior to invoking the central functions  34 , the Auto-Swap procedure, and  36 , the Generate ATP procedure.  
         [0052]    The flow that is shown in FIG. 2 is initiated by the Order Scheduling function  20 , which can be invoked by the controlling software such as a supervisory function running on an order processing computer. The orders, submitted on a daily basis are sequentially processed by function  20 .  
         [0053]    For a given order, first is determined if the Available To Promise (ATP) product, which is equal to the Balance minus the sum of previous Requests, is adequate to fill the order. If this is the case, the order can be filled and a commitment date can be created, function  24 , FIG. 2. Processing continues via branch  23  from function  24  of, if available, additional orders.  
         [0054]    If ATP is not adequate to fill the order, function  26  interrogates to determine if the Auto-Swap function is enabled by the setting of the Auto-Swap flag. The Auto-Swap flag is manually set or controlled by a Central Planning Department (CPD).  
         [0055]    If the Auto-Swap flag is not set, block  28 , a message is printed that indicates that there is not Adequate Inventory of the Product (AIP) after which processing continues via branch  23  from function  28  of, if available, additional orders.  
         [0056]    If the Auto-Swap flag is set, it is determined, function  30 , if the swappable CASD does not exceed a limit for the manufacturing facility, that is: is the requested quantity of the order within the limit that is allowed to be processed by the Auto-Swap system. This limit is manually maintained by the Customer Service (CS) organization to assure that an upper limit is in place on product that can be processed and potentially committed to a customer. This prevents open-ended processing by the flow that is shown in FIG. 2. For instance, an order in excess of 1,000 wafers can in this manner still be manually processed by showing the message created by function  32 , a message that states that the swappable product contained in the CASD file is not enough and that therefore consideration must be given to additional manufacturing resources being dedicated to meet the order. This (presumably) large order may be an unusual order for the manufacturing facility and may therefore required special consideration by the CS organization.  
         [0057]    For orders that are not within the manufacturing quantity that is desired or allowed to be analyzed for automatic re-assignment of previously committed product to the current order, a message is printed by function  32  to that effect after which processing continues via branch  23  from function  32  for the processing, if required, of additional orders.  
         [0058]    For orders where the requested quantity is within the permitted or desired FAB quantity, the order can now be further processed and filled using the functions  34 , the Auto-Swap function, and  36 , the Generate ATP function, of the invention. These two functions are further highlighted in detail below, the explanation of these functions will be temporarily postponed at this time so that the remaining functions shown in FIG. 2 can be explained first.  
         [0059]    After functions  34  and  36  have been executed, the flow of FIG. 2 shows that processing continues if more orders need to be processed. Function  38  determines whether all orders have been processed, is so the Order Scheduling flow of FIG. 2 will terminate with a return  40  to the supervisory function. Additional orders are processed, via branch  21  from function  38  by effectively re-entering the Order Scheduling function  20 .  
         [0060]    During and as part of the subject explanation it is of value to keep in mind that the method of the invention allows many variances in the placed orders to be accepted and processed, this without incurring a delay for the scheduling of a batch processing run, while at the same time flagging large variances in the placed orders for special attention by Customer Service (CS)) personnel. Conventionally, swapping of CASD content was a manual and therefore time-consuming effort, having a negative impact on the cost performance of the ordering system.  
         [0061]    It must further be considered that, as a practical consideration, if a large number of quantities of product are automatically swapped, the effectiveness of forward planning is negatively affected and looses its usefulness. It is therefore from an overall manufacturing point of view advantageous to have the auto-swap function that is invoked only for un-conventional orders and not as a rule.  
         [0062]    The functional and organizational aspects of the flow of the invention is further highlighted using FIG. 3, wherein is shown the overall system architecture of the Auto Allocation Swap (AAS) system of the invention.  
         [0063]    The main components of the AAS system are:  
         [0064]    [0064] 42 , the Order Scheduling function  
         [0065]    [0065] 44 , the Brokering Rule Data base  
         [0066]    [0066] 46 , the CASD records  
         [0067]    [0067] 48 , the ATP records and  
         [0068]    [0068] 50 , the CASD broker.  
         [0069]    The Order Scheduling function  42  places via interface  43  a Request or order, the CASD Broker function  50  interfaces via interface  47  with the Brokering Rule function  44 . This may result in swapping  49  of CASD Record  46 ′ to record  46 ″ in the CASD record pool  46 . CASD record  46 ′ is an existing schedule while CASD record  46 ″ is a proposed swap value, the new swap having been caused by one or more variances in the placed order. From this action follows, interface  51 , the generation of new ATP values by deleting ATP record  43 ′ and creating a new ATP record  48 ″ in its place as part of the ATP record pool  48 . The Order Pool  42  and the ATP record pool  48  interface via interface  45 .  
         [0070]    The Brokering Rule database  44  contains a set of pre-defined and configurable rules that are applied in a brokering capacity. The function of the Brokering Rule  44  is to place constraint on the flow of FIG. 2, for instance the number of variances that a wafer may accept. As a second for instance can be cited that some critical technologies may have a smaller variance allowed. Priorities may also be implemented by the Brokering Rule function  44 , for instance to find similar CASD profiles and to assign priority in swapping these similar CASD profiles in order to reduce the frequency or impact of swapping activities.  
         [0071]    A number of auto swap constraints are in force that can be divided into hard constraints and soft constraints.  
         [0072]    As hard constraints can be cited:  
         [0073]    area code  
         [0074]    customer family code that is maintained by a Regional Sales Office (RSO) and reflects a Customer Established Hierarchy  
         [0075]    the FAB code, and  
         [0076]    the allocation by year and by month.  
         [0077]    As soft constraints can be cited:  
         [0078]    the total swapped CASD in a single month for each transaction cannot exceed the FAB quota, and  
         [0079]    the Central Planning Department (CPD) can manually maintain the quote by FAB.  
         [0080]    For the cited hard constraints the following can be enforced:  
         [0081]    open-sided can be treated as the same customer family, the validity of the open-side aspect is determined by the open-side flag, and  
         [0082]    the open-side flag is maintained by the Regional Sales Office and is determined on the basis of “AREA”, “Month” and “FAB”.  
         [0083]    The flowchart of FIG. 2 and the therewith provided explanation has shown that initial steps  22 ,  26  and  30  of interrogation must all be passed before steps  34 , the call “Auto-Swap” procedure and step  36 , the Generate ATP procedure, are reached. These latter two procedures are now explained.  
         [0084]    As a summary statement can it be said that function  34 , the Auto-Swap procedure, is invoked to automatically swap the CASD plan values while function  36 , the Generate ATP function provides an updated set of ATP values wafer a swap has been completed.  
         [0085]    The “Auto Swap” procedure provides for assigning product that has previously been allocated to a customer to a new order. In the format of the CASD file that has previously been highlighted, the data contained therein can functionally be divided into:  
         [0086]    customer data, such as AREA, Customer  
         [0087]    a source of product, that is where within the manufacturing facility is the product made, such as Fab  
         [0088]    product that is allocated to the customer, that is the Balance entry  
         [0089]    a time stamp which is the month for which the product is allocated to the customer, that is Allo Month  
         [0090]    product description, such as MIRC, FUNC, METL, etc., and  
         [0091]    Product-processing steps required prior to shipment of the product to the customer, such as TEST and CSTN.  
         [0092]    This data can be analyzed for a determination whether some or this entire product can beneficially be re-allocated to a new customer, which is the customer that has now placed an order for product. For this to be the case it is obvious that product that is re-allocated must meet the new customer order, not only in the sense of product availability (whereby the product is transferred from a commitment to another commitment created by the new order) but also from the point of view of product technical characteristics. Some product can be “upgraded” in the sense that 0.6 μm product can be used to fill an order for 0.25 μm product. Some product is preferably not used to fill a new customer order since this product may be more expensive the produce, for instance 0.18 μm may be used to replace 0.25 μm product for a new customer order but only if no other alternative is available for filling the order. The previously highlighted constraints play a role in this process of product swapping.  
         [0093]    To enable the process of product swapping, the product is divided in an ascending search tree, using the following hierarchy in increasing order of detail, see FIG. 4:  
         [0094]    a micron group  52 , which contains a pointer to customer families  
         [0095]    customer family  54 , which groups customers that typically have the same product requirements  
         [0096]    a technical function  56  group, which groups product of the same or of interchangeably technical characteristics, and  
         [0097]    an open side  58 .  
         [0098]    The latter parameter, the open side  58 , refers to a buffer area on a wafer, which contains product that has not previously been allocated to any customer. It is clear that, as a last resort, the open side can be analyzed if no interchangeable product has been found in the customer family but this only in the open side for that customer family.  
         [0099]    In the hierarchical flow chart of FIG. 4, a number of parameters have been highlighted as examples and as indicators of the sub-divisions that are valid following each of the levels of the hierarchy.  
         [0100]    The Auto Swap routine can now be further explained using FIG. 5 where the previously highlighted hierarchy  52 ,  54 ,  56  and  58  has been indicated in the left-hand section of FIG. 5 while further and there-with related detail is provided in the balance of FIG. 5.  
         [0101]    The search sequence has been highlighted with numbers 1-12 that have been circled. The order for which the search is performed has been listed in the upper section of FIG. 5, as follows:  
         [0102]    1000(&lt;=25)(LL01)1P3M of U333, the various fields in the order entry are:  
         [0103]    1000, the number of wafers that have been ordered (&lt;=25), the technology, MIRC in the previously highlighted record format of the CASD record, in this case 0.25 μm technology  
         [0104]    (LL01), the number of Logic Layers that must be provided on the wafers  
         [0105]    1P3M, one layer of polysilicon and three layers of metal are required for the product  
         [0106]    U333, the customer or family number, also as previously highlighted in the CASD record format.  
         [0107]    The search for replaceable product is then as follows, all following numbers referring to the circled numbers shown in FIG. 5:  
         [0108]    1, for this customer is there an adequate supply of the desired product allocated to this customer  
         [0109]    2, if the product that has been allocated to customer U333 is not enough to fill this order, identical product is searched for within the same Customer Family  
         [0110]    3, if no identical product can be allocated within the same Customer Family, product interchange (down-grading) is attempted whereby product that has been allocated within the Customer Family and that meets the technical requirements of the order that is being analyzed is used to fill the order  
         [0111]    4, as “3” above but now within other customers in the Customer Family  
         [0112]    5 through 8, the search can be extended, in this case to product which preferably would not be used to fill the order, first within the same Family (5 and 6), then in another Customer within the same Customer Family (7 and 8)  
         [0113]    9 through 12, if as yet no product has been allocated that can be used to fill the order, the Open Side of the wafer is analyzed, first for exact matching product (9), than for relaxed product (10), then for less desirable (expensive) but as yet usable product (11 and 12).  
         [0114]    In the above indicated searches, the Available To Promise (ATP) record plays the role whereby steps that search for replacement product, such as steps other than steps 1, 2 and 9-12, access the ATP record for the indicated analysis since these steps search for product that has previously been promised to (another) customer.  
         [0115]    Failure of the Auto Swap routine, FIG. 5, to allocate any product for assignment to the order will result in a message being printed to that effect after which a next order is processed. This message, not shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2, will be initiated by unit  34  of flowchart FIG. 2.  
         [0116]    Success of the Auto Swap routine, FIG. 5, in allocating product for assignment to the order requires processing steps of determining a commitment date for the allocated product, the Available To Promise record is updated with this commitment date. These processing steps comprise a three-step procedure as shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0117]    The first of these three steps, step  60 , FIG. 6, the determining of a cycle time will be discussed first. The product cycle time, from which a potential commitment date “d 1 ” is determined, is determined by taking the current date, adding to this date the product cycle time (in days) and further adding (a number of days) for post fabrication activities such as shipping, product transfer and the like.  
         [0118]    The second step, step  62 , FIG. 6, evaluates the impact in days “d 2 ” that current and projected product flow have on the calculate cycle time by assigning a weighted value in days to factory activities, for instance as follows:  
         [0119]    product dependent activities, Logic Product being assigned a value of 7 days, memory product being assigned a value of 10 days  
         [0120]    assembly activities, assigned a value of for instance 7 days  
         [0121]    final test activities, for instance assigned a value of 5 days  
         [0122]    transfer activities, for instance assigned a value of 1 day  
         [0123]    shipping activities, for instance assigned a value of 1 day.  
         [0124]    “ ” 
         [0125]    The first step provided a date “d 1 ”, extending from the current date due to processing activities. The second step took into account impact of product, assembly and special activities such as testing, the days “d 2 ” calculate under the second step are added to the date “d 1 ” calculated under the first step. The latter date, the addition “d 1 ”+“d 2 ” of the results of step 1 and step 2, is referred to as the step 2 result date.  
         [0126]    Product allocation is performed on a year-month basis, that is a month within a given year, the Allo Month field in the previously highlighted CASD record.  
         [0127]    The third step of the three-step procedure, step  64 , FIG. 6, implements the following rules. If the resulting date “d1” that is obtained in step 1 above provides a date which is less than the date of the Allo Month entry for the product in the CASD record, this indicates that the order has been placed early with respect to the CASD monthly delivery schedule for the customer and that is therefore acceptable to assign a committed date of the 15 th  of the month in which the order is being analyzed, formally:  
         [0128]    If step 1 result date&lt;allocation year month  
         [0129]    then committed date=the 15 th  of  
         [0130]    allocation year month  
         [0131]    else committed date=step 2 result date.  
         [0132]    As an example: if the calculated date obtained by adding the date of step 1 to the days of steps 2 equals May 15 as a potential delivery date but the CASD Allo Month record allows a July date for the product under investigation, then the delivery date is adjusted to July 15.  
         [0133]    The invention as highlighted above provides for: 
         [0134]    1. embedded intelligence by means of a Rule Base  
         [0135]    2. the implementation of a middle-role or broker to swap CASD records, and  
         [0136]    3. the implementation of a “top-down” approach to generate a real time Available To Promise (ATP) record. 
         [0137]    Although the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific illustrative embodiments thereof, it is not intended that the invention be limited to those illustrative embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended to include within the invention all such variations and modifications which fall within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.