Dynamic release control policy for the semiconductor wafer fabrication lines

We propose a policy for controlling the release of raw wafers into the semiconductor wafer fabrication lines. The proposed policy exploits up-to-date factory floor information gathered by tracking systems used to calculate the time and amount of a new release to minimize mean flow times and mean tardiness while maintaining the maximum output rates of the system. Extensive computer experiments show that the proposed policy results in significant improvements for the same output rates compared to existing release rules.