The project aims to increase competitiveness in the semiconductor industry through improved methods of computer-integrated manufacturing techniques for microelectronic fabrication. In particular, the work will develop systems that integrate all data on product and process design, equipment, process and facility control, quality assurance and testing, and production scheduling. The data base will contain process recipes, listings of work in process, and physical and electrical test results. As far as possible, the different versions or "views" of the data for a single process should be created on demand from this single database representation. Continuing real-world testing will be a major part of this research. The test bed will be the University of California-Berkeley's Microlab. Database management systems and programming aids for manufacturing now under development at Berkeley and sponsored by various organizations will be utilized. Initially, four specific application areas will be investigated: facility management, tracking of work in progress, automatic inspection, and the application of Berkeley's expert system to low- pressure chemical-vapor deposition. The significance of this project lies in the boost to productivity and product quality that successful completion will bring. Beyond the immediate payoff in semiconductor wafer fabrication, the work is likely to lead to valuable insights into the basic nature of production organization and control that will be applicable to other manufacturing operations as well. The researchers involved can be counted on to take a broad point of view and their graduate students will be a valuable resource in bringing sophisticated tools and methods to the manufacturing environment.
