Petri Net-Based Polynomially Complex Approach to Optimal One-Wafer Cyclic Scheduling of Hybrid Multi-Cluster Tools in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Due to the different behavior of single-arm and dual-arm cluster tools, it is challenging to schedule a hybrid multi-cluster tool containing both of them. This paper aims to find an optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule for such a multi-cluster tool. It is assumed that the bottleneck individual cluster tool in it is process-bound, thereby making it process-dominant. To do so, this paper models a hybrid multi-cluster tool with Petri nets. With this model, it derives the conditions under which individual cluster tools can operate in a paced way. Based on these conditions, this paper shows that for any process-dominant hybrid multi-cluster tool there is always a one-wafer cyclic schedule. Then, it develops the algorithms to find the minimal cycle time and the optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule. It is computationally efficient and easy-to-implement in practice. Examples are given to show the application and effectiveness of the proposed method.