Modeling of Microsystems Production Processes for the MinaBASE Process Knowledge Database Using Semantic Technologies

In this paper, we present the consolidation of a process knowledge database for knowledge-intensive production processes in the field of microsystems technology with a workflow component. Among the requirements to be met by the workflow component are the hierarchical presentation of process chains, a close integration of the product structure in the form of assemblies, modules, and components, storage of previous (unsuccessful) attempts together with the information arising, the derivation of process patterns from concrete workflow instances, and the explicit modeling of dependencies among various steps in the workflow. In contrast to existing workflows, the complexity in the concrete microsystems technology application does not lie in potential branchings of activities, but in the inherent information and concepts of the process knowledge database and their relations and constraints. Starting from the metamodel developed for process modeling by List and Korherr, a multi-perspective model with four overlapping and integrated perspectives (system, process, project, and development perspectives) was developed to better manage the complexity of and reuse individual knowledge entities. As a proof of concept, the model is implemented by means of formal knowledge representation languages from the semantic web, which will be illustrated using the previously analyzed development perspective as an example. Keywords-process knowledge management, microsystems technology, semantic web