Optimal Preventive Maintenance Scheduling in Semiconductor Manufacturing Systems: Software Tool and Simulation Case Studies

This paper presents the architecture and implementation of a preventive maintenance optimization software tool (PMOST), based on algorithms for the optimal scheduling of preventive maintenance (PM) tasks in semiconductor manufacturing operations. We also present results from four complex simulation case studies, based on real industrial data and employing full fab models, to illustrate the use, data needs and outcomes produced by PMOST. These results demonstrate significant improvements in tool production and consolidation of PM tasks. We give a description of the different software modules that compose PMOST, to provide guidelines as well as a template for other implementations of the PM optimization algorithms utilized by PMOST.