Economic Analysis and Optimization in Tool Portfolio Planning in Semiconductor Manufacturing

The tool portfolio of a plant refers to the makeup, in quantity and type, of processing machines in the plant. Portfolio planning is a multi-criteria decision-making task involving trade-offs among investment cost, throughput, cycle time and risk. In this paper, an economic decision model is first presented for optimal configuration of portfolio and to determine optimal factory loading. If plants are closely located or have a twin-fab design, portfolio planning at multiple plants can be integrated to enhance the overall effectiveness of portfolios. A novel methodology for arbitrating capacity backup between multiple plants is described in the second part. Finally, robust configuration of portfolio in a dynamic demand environment is addressed. Industry data have been utilized to run through the developed methodologies.