The effects of small lot manufacturing on AMHS operation and equipment front-end design

This paper analyzes the effects of small lot manufacturing (SLM) on equipment operation and fab performance. It also discusses equipment front-end design challenges and describes options for carrier handling and AMHS operation to maximize the productivity benefits of small lot manufacturing. This paper focuses primarily on the material handling aspects of SLM and as such, does not discuss the influences of equipment Setup or First Wafer Delay which have been covered in other related publications.