Using computerized routers to control product flow

An intelligent migrating process (IMP) is a process that may explicitly migrate to another machine to avail itself of that machine´s capabilities. Between moves, an IMP may access any of the local resources of the current machine. The original motivation for the IMP concept was to route products through a factory. By using an IMP to represent each lot, it is possible to create an electronic analog of a paper router that can not only perform all the traditional router functions, but extends the router´s functionality by allowing it to dynamically react to changes in the state of the factory. Specifically, the executable code comprising an IMP can contain the logic that permits the IMP to choose among processing alternatives or institute rework procedures based on the processing its lot has already received and the current state of the factory. This paper demonstrates the utility of the computerized router by describing an IMP application for routing wafers in a semiconductor fabrication facility