Model driven architecture approach in the semiconductor industry: A practical implementation

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) in the semiconductor industry faces a plethora of challenges. Companies must adapt continuously to the changing economic environment while providing new products and solutions, consequently new requirements are constantly being added to CIM applications. Development is normally tackled by multiple, small groups without sharing a common architecture. Software documentation is frequently poor. Software prototyping, development as well as upgrading existing application must be done in a short time and the final applications must be robust and efficient to decrease CPU, memory, disk space, and network costs, increasing the competitiveness of the company. To address all these problems, a framework has been created to quickly develop shop floor applications for the semiconductor industry.