Development and Simulation Assessment of Semiconductor Production System Enhancements for Fast Cycle Times

Long cycle times in semiconductor manufacturing represent an increasing challenge for the industry and lead to a growing need of break-through approaches to reduce it. Small lot sizes and the conversion of batch processes to mini-batch or single-wafer processes are widely regarded as a promising means for a step-wise cycle time reduction. Our analysis with discrete-event simulation and queueing theory shows that small lot size and the replacement of batch tools with mini-batch or single wafer tools are beneficial but lot size reduction lacks persuasive effectiveness if reduced by more than half. Because the results are not completely convincing, we develop a new semiconductor tool type that further reduces cycle time by lot streaming leveraging the lot size reduction efforts. We show that this combined approach can lead to a cycle time reduction of more than 80%

Reusable modelling and simulation of flexible manufacturing for next generation semiconductor manufacturing facilities

Automated material handling systems (AMHS) in 300 mm semiconductor manufacturing facilities may need to evolve faster than expected considering the high performance demands on these facilities. Reusable simulation models are needed to cope with the demands of this dynamic environment and to deliver answers to the industry much faster. One vision for intrabay AMHS is to link a small group of intrabay AMHS systems, within a full manufacturing facility, together using what is called a Merge/Diverge link. This promises better operational performance of the AMHS when compared to operating two dedicated AMHS systems, one for interbay transport and the other for intrabay handling. A generic tool for modelling and simulation of an intrabay AMHS (GTIA-M&S) is built, which utilises a library of different blocks representing the different components of any intrabay material handling system. GTIA-M&S provides a means for rapid building and analysis of an intrabay AMHS under different operating conditions. The ease of use of the tool means that inexpert users have the ability to generate good models. Models developed by the tool can be executed with the merge/diverge capability enabled or disabled to provide comparable solutions to production demands and to compare these two different configurations of intrabay AMHS using a single simulation model. Finally, results from simulation experiments on a model developed using the tool were very informative in that they include useful decision making data, which can now be used to further enhance and update the design and operational characteristics of the intrabay AMHS

Characterizing the Load Environment of Ferry Landings for Washington State Ferries and the Alaska Marine Highway System

INE/AUTC 13.0

Study of airport capacity vs efficiency sesar challenges

The objectives of this study are to present a real case study for evaluating the impact of SESAR enhancements on the capacity and efficiency of the Barcelona – El Prat Airport by analyzing the impact of the future SESAR enablers on the capacity and efficiency indicators and by evaluating the effectiveness and the applicability of the SESAR concept on increasing its capacity and efficiency. The first half of the study is dedicated to analyze the following aspects of T1: - Capacity: current capacity of T1 was assessed, which in this case turns to be the capacity of the global Airport. Capacity is always given by the most restrictive subsystem, which in this case is the runway component. - Efficiency: a good indicator for evaluating the airport’s efficiency is an estimation of the delays. Given that runway component is the subsystem which limits the capacity of the airport, the delay introduced is a good KPI for efficiency. The results obtained from selected methodologies used in the capacity and efficiency assessments, (mainly FAA methods for airside and IATA for landside) show that, on 19th July 2009, Barcelona’s Airport capacity is 62 operations per hour and its efficiency 18.4 minutes of delay per hour on the runway component. Such conditions will be not enough to absorb the future traffic, even if operating at best performance, and it is here were SESAR will play a key role for the survival of Barcelona’s airport. The second half of the study is devoted to evaluate the SESAR scenario. The objective is to assess by how much SESAR will improve the capacity and efficiency of the airport and how this improvement will evolve over time. To this effect, the list of SESAR KPIs that will help in the determination of such parameters is obtained. The study concludes that both capacity and efficiency of Barcelona’s Airport are going to increase in the incoming years thanks to the new systems and procedures of the SESAR Program. - Thanks to new approach procedures (CDA), Barcelona’s landing capacity will be incremented, but because of current airspace limitations this improvement could not be reached by means of runway capacity since the airport is “closed” in terms of noise in the takeoff phase. - Thanks to SESAR CDM, delays will be reduced by a 3%, in means of improving Barcelona’s efficiency, which in values means 17.8 min delay per hour. Both factors will experience their biggest evolution rate from 2012 on until their entire completion on 2020 (63% for capacity and 67% for efficiency). This theoretical increase would mean, for example, that a capacity of 80 operations per hour could be reached by 2020. In terms of environment, SESAR will increase the capacity and efficiency of the Airport of Barcelona while minimizing the environmental impact of aviation on the surroundings of the airport by implementing its new environmental tools and procedures, such as CDA operating techniques which will reduce aircraft’s emissions and noise. The implementation of SESAR will represent an investment for the airport, and to this effect, a business case is presented, containing the analysis of the costs derived from implementing the SESAR requirements in the airport and the balance with the benefits obtained. CBA results show that Airport CDM is a solid investment given its technical applicability and economic viability, since benefits are 4 times bigger than implementation costs and the payback period is within only 2 years; all this at a nearly non-existent financial loss risk. To sum up, SESAR is an extremely positive option for the Airport of Barcelona, since it brings the necessary increases in capacity and efficiency in order to cope with future scenarios, and gives substantial economic benefits

Modern Information Systems

The development of modern information systems is a demanding task. New technologies and tools are designed, implemented and presented in the market on a daily bases. User needs change dramatically fast and the IT industry copes to reach the level of efficiency and adaptability for its systems in order to be competitive and up-to-date. Thus, the realization of modern information systems with great characteristics and functionalities implemented for specific areas of interest is a fact of our modern and demanding digital society and this is the main scope of this book. Therefore, this book aims to present a number of innovative and recently developed information systems. It is titled "Modern Information Systems" and includes 8 chapters. This book may assist researchers on studying the innovative functions of modern systems in various areas like health, telematics, knowledge management, etc. It can also assist young students in capturing the new research tendencies of the information systems' development

Brain Injury in Maine: A Needs Assessment

This document reviews existing Maine policy and programs to evaluate how well they meet the needs of persons with brain injury

IMMACCS: A Multi-Agent Decision-Support System

This report describes work performed by the Collaborative Agent Design Research Center for the US Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL), on the IMMACCS experimental decision-support system. IMMACCS (Integrated Marine Multi-Agent Command and Control System) incorporates three fundamental concepts that distinguish it from existing (i.e., legacy) command and control applications. First, it is a collaborative system in which computer-based agents assist human operators by monitoring, analyzing, and reasoning about events in near real-time. Second, IMMACCS includes an ontological model of the battlespace that represents the behavioral characteristics and relationships among real world entities such as friendly and enemy assets, infrastructure objects (e.g., buildings, roads, and rivers), and abstract notions. This object model provides the essential common language that binds all IMMACCS components into an integrated and adaptive decision-support system. Third, IMMACCS provides no ready made solutions that may not be applicable to the problems that will occur in the real world. Instead, the agents represent a powerful set of tools that together with the human operators can adjust themselves to the problem situations that cannot be predicted in advance. In this respect, IMMACCS is an adaptive command and control system that supports planning, execution and training functions concurrently. The report describes the nature and functional requirements of military command and control, the architectural features of IMMACCS that are designed to support these operational requirements, the capabilities of the tools (i.e., agents) that IMMACCS offers its users, and the manner in which these tools can be applied. Finally, the performance of IMMACCS during the Urban Warrior Advanced Warfighting Experiment held in California in March, 1999, is discussed from an operational viewpoint