Semiconductor manufacturing in the 21st century: capital investment vs. technological innovation

The author describes the technological problems which must be solved if the goal of utilizing the dramatic improvements in cost/performance of computer technology to replace manufacturing methods which have become prohibitively expensive is to be realized. Envisioning a manufacturing environment of rapid change (anathema to most manufacturing organizations), three basic components of a futuristic manufacturing system are described: a programmable factory consisting of multifunction, computer-controlled equipment, a virtual factory consisting of simulation tools emulating the reality of the real factory, and a manufacturing automation framework supporting a multiplicity of software tools needed for flexible manufacturing systems. Each of these components is further broken down into specific technological problems to be solved