Semiconductor manufacturing is arguably the most complex manufacturing process. Due to the increase in using new technologies, the global economy is largely impacted by the semiconductor industry. With billions of dollars of worldwide sales at the global level, the semiconductor industry contributes to generate billions of dollars of turnover in many other industries. The construction of 450 mm wafer fabs is anticipated for the near future. These facilities are projected to cost on the order of US$15 billion. The competition in the semiconductor sector is very fierce. Therefore, the semiconductor sector must constantly improve at all levels. It is essential to design, analyze, and operate semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities and the corresponding supply chains efficiently.
To ensure reliable outcomes and reduce operating costs, highly automated manufacturing systems are employed to conduct the operations and make millions of decisions per day. These discrete event systems require scheduling/optimization methods and logistics/supply chain management tools to support their automated operation. In addition, as emerging issues such as sustainable production and cloud computing arise, they must be considered too.
The development and application of quantitative methods, including analytic approaches and simulation, for these very expensive systems are essential components of improving their operation. The goal of the proposed session is to highlight cutting edge research on the use of quantitative methods for semiconductor manufacturing.