| The objective of this dissertation is to increase output in a capacity constrained semiconductor manufacturing facility by (1) improving the design of the manufacturing process for which the product yield is uncertain, and (2) providing a framework for identifying the causes of bottlenecks in the process that also enables the improvement of the efficiency of bottleneck operations.;First, to address the theoretical way that the capacity problem is solved, this dissertation uses existing technology to propose and demonstrate a job release strategy. The proposed job release strategy produces sets of semiconductors that approach the theoretical upper bound of production output. Further increases in output would require increased capacity and/or new technology.;Second, to address the problems organizations have implementing factory performance metrics, a framework for analyzing the efficiency of bottleneck tools is developed. This framework incorporates and enhances the currently accepted standards in the semiconductor industry. A decision support tool based on the new framework is then presented.;Finally, extension of the results to other manufacturing environments is discussed. |
