Multiple lot in one FOUP(MLiF) control and management in the 300mm Fab

One of the critical challenges in today´s Fab operation is to reduce operation cost. About 5% ∼ 10% in Fab WIP belong to “Small Lot” which lot quantities less than 25 pieces. Tool trouble or engineering experimentation was the major cause. These lots caused long cycle time, high production cost. Traditionally, operator manual collect “small lot” by standalone sorter. It is inefficiency. For improving above issues, we built up Multi-Lot in one FOUP (MLiF) management system. After implementation, small lot cycle time improved 15%, cost saving USD 2.53 million/year.