9522753 Bailey Most research efforts to improve cycle time in semiconductor manufacturing have focused on scheduling issues, and efforts to reduce time to market have used a concurrent engineering approach to approving coordination between engineering and fabrication personnel. This work will plan a research effort toward integrating engineering with the other functions within a firm, from product conception to final assembly. The planning stage is essential because, while the need for thorough engineering integration is well-recognized, the exact description and prioritization of the problems resulting from its absence are not. Collaboration with industry, including visits to semiconductor research, manufacturing, assembly, and packaging facilities, will allow appropriate case studies for the subsequent research to be defined. The sophistication of both semiconductor products and semiconductor manufacturing processes make coordination and integration of semiconductor production systems particularly difficult. The goal of this research is to define clearly the engineering function throughout an organization, to develop a predictive model of firm performance as a function of engineering integration, and then to develop mechanisms for combining the resources of the engineering function with production, assembly, and other departments in this high-technology industry. Both cycle time and time to market could be shortened through a mechanism for engineering integration that allows faster identification and resolution of production problems.
