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Simulazione · Minimal Organization · Industry

Semiconductor manufacturer

A chip fab as a walkable model: see where a wafer lot spends its weeks and why lithography sets the pace for the whole fab.

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Trailer

All data for LITHENA HALBLEITER are fictional. The model can be fitted to your fab's real data and filled with information that is not visible anywhere today – for example actual lot moves from your MES or maintenance windows for each lithography tool.

This page shows a semiconductor fab process simulation, using the fictional chipmaker LITHENA HALBLEITER. A lot of 25 wafers passes five times through the same loop of exposure, etch, deposition and polishing. The diagram ‘Where the time goes’ makes it plain: most of the time, the lot is waiting between tools.

The main process in one sentence: fab planning releases a lot, wafer test measures every chip after the fifth loop, then the wafers fly to an overseas assembler for packaging and final test before the chips ship to the customer. The model's target: in wafer test within nine weeks.

Lithography is the bottleneck. More wafer starts make the queue in front of it grow for weeks, and an extra tool is the most expensive lever in the fab. The page is written for fab managers, production control and capital planning, and for anyone who has to explain how a fab works to new hires, customers or policymakers.

A lot of wafers runs through the fab

  1. 01

    Release lot (25 wafers): Fab planning releases a lot of 25 wafers.

  2. 02

    Exposure: Layers 1–12: transistors: exposure.

  3. 03

    Etch and clean: Layers 1–12: transistors: etch and clean.

  4. 04

    Deposit and implant: Layers 1–12: transistors: deposit and implant.

  5. 05

    Polish and measure: Layers 1–12: transistors: polish and measure.

  6. 06

    Waiting and transport between tools: The lot waits in wafer boxes for the next tools.

  7. 07

    Again: Exposure: Layers 13–24: contacts: exposure.

  8. 08

    Again: Etch and clean: Layers 13–24: contacts: etch and clean.

  9. 09

    Again: Deposit and implant: Layers 13–24: contacts: deposit and implant.

  10. 10

    Again: Polish and measure: Layers 13–24: contacts: polish and measure.

  11. 11

    Again: Waiting and transport between tools: The lot waits in wafer boxes for the next tools.

  12. 12

    Again: Exposure: Layers 25–36: lower metal: exposure.

  13. 13

    Again: Etch and clean: Layers 25–36: lower metal: etch and clean.

  14. 14

    Again: Deposit and implant: Layers 25–36: lower metal: deposit and implant.

  15. 15

    Again: Polish and measure: Layers 25–36: lower metal: polish and measure.

  16. 16

    Again: Waiting and transport between tools: The lot waits in wafer boxes for the next tools.

  17. 17

    Again: Exposure: Layers 37–48: upper metal: exposure.

  18. 18

    Again: Etch and clean: Layers 37–48: upper metal: etch and clean.

  19. 19

    Again: Deposit and implant: Layers 37–48: upper metal: deposit and implant.

  20. 20

    Again: Polish and measure: Layers 37–48: upper metal: polish and measure.

A site at work

01

A site at work

6 buildings, 16 departments, about 1,300 staff: in the evening light golden arcs show who reports to whom.

Every floor opened up

02

Every floor opened up

Every building can be opened, floor by floor – right into single rooms such as ‘Management’, with workplaces and people at work.

What is shown – why – for whom

Cosa viene mostrato Perché Per chi
Diagram ‘Where the time goes’ for one lot Perchéshows that a wafer spends most of its time waiting Per chiProduction control, fab management
Queue in front of lithography in the resources view Perchéshows the fab's most expensive bottleneck Per chiFab management, capital planning
Diagram ‘What each control does’: wafer starts, lithography, maintenance, second assembler Perchéranks the levers by their effect on cycle time Per chiExecutive team, controlling
Diagram ‘What the work depends on’: ultrapure water, gases, substation Perchéshows how the fab depends on its utilities Per chiFacility management, risk management
Five passes through the same loop in the processes view Perchéexplains why a lot keeps returning to the same tools Per chiOnboarding, customers
Disruption ‘Voltage dip in the grid’ Perchéshows twelve hours of restart after a brief dip Per chiEnergy supply, site policy
Diagram ‘How a case flows’ to the overseas assembler Perchémakes the path across continents visible Per chiCustomers, supply chain
Who works with whom

03

Who works with whom

‘Fab planning and dispatching’ with all 4 relations: Lithography, Yield engineering and Manufacturing execution (MES) – and outside Assembly and test (overseas).

A lot of wafers runs through the fab

04

A lot of wafers runs through the fab

A single case can be followed – step by step, with the waiting time at every station. Target: in wafer test within 9 weeks.

Films from the model

  • The building opens up

    Just before sunset the floors drift apart – ‘Administration and customer engineering’ opens up as the camera rises and circles the building until night falls.

  • Who reports to whom, who works with whom

    Blue hour above the site: first the golden arcs of the structure, then the collaboration of the most connected department, finally the whole building.

  • A day in time-lapse

    From ten in the morning to midnight in 26 seconds: the sun moves, the windows light up, at night the data lines glow.

  • Surge and system outage

    In time-lapse: ‘Demand wave’ brings more work, then ‘Manufacturing execution fails’ – the data arcs turn red. The control ‘Lithography tools’ set to ‘two more’ brings recovery.

  • Seven diagrams

    Calculated live from the model: ‘Who works with whom’, ‘Year, week, day’, ‘Management levels as a staircase’, ‘How a case flows’, ‘What each control does’, ‘What the work depends on’, ‘Where it gets tight’.

  • Using the software

    With the full interface: open a building, a department’s relations, ‘Demand wave’, a control, diagrams with their panel, one case.

Departments in the model

  • Management

    Leads the fab and customer service.

  • Fab planning and dispatching

    Releases lots and sets the sequence at the tools.

  • Lithography

    Exposes every layer – the most expensive tools in the fab.

  • Etching and cleaning

    Transfers the pattern into the layer.

  • Deposition and implantation

    Deposits layers and dopes.

  • CMP and metrology

    Polishes, measures, decides: continue or rework.

  • Equipment engineering

    Keeps the tools running.

  • Utilities (ultrapure water, gases, power)

    Without utilities the cleanroom stops.

  • Wafer test

    Measures every chip on the wafer.

  • Yield engineering

    Every point of yield is profit.

  • Failure analysis

    Hunts defects under the microscope.

  • Process technology

    Develops the layer recipes.

  • Customer engineering

    Brings customer designs into the fab.

  • Sales

    Sells capacity, commits dates.

  • Environment, health, safety

    Gases, chemicals, wastewater.

  • Manufacturing execution (MES)

    Knows every lot and every step.

Manufacturing execution fails

05

Manufacturing execution fails

The data arcs turn red and work stalls – the simulation shows where cases pile up and how long recovery takes.

06

A day in 26 seconds

From ten in the morning to midnight in time-lapse: commuters, moving light, windows switching on – and at night the data lines.

All processes in the model

A lot of wafers runs through the fab

  1. 01Release lot (25 wafers): Fab planning releases a lot of 25 wafers.
  2. 02Exposure: Layers 1–12: transistors: exposure.
  3. 03Etch and clean: Layers 1–12: transistors: etch and clean.
  4. 04Deposit and implant: Layers 1–12: transistors: deposit and implant.
  5. 05Polish and measure: Layers 1–12: transistors: polish and measure.
  6. 06Waiting and transport between tools: The lot waits in wafer boxes for the next tools.
  7. 07Again: Exposure: Layers 13–24: contacts: exposure.
  8. 08Again: Etch and clean: Layers 13–24: contacts: etch and clean.
  9. 09Again: Deposit and implant: Layers 13–24: contacts: deposit and implant.
  10. 10Again: Polish and measure: Layers 13–24: contacts: polish and measure.
  11. 11Again: Waiting and transport between tools: The lot waits in wafer boxes for the next tools.
  12. 12Again: Exposure: Layers 25–36: lower metal: exposure.
  13. 13Again: Etch and clean: Layers 25–36: lower metal: etch and clean.
  14. 14Again: Deposit and implant: Layers 25–36: lower metal: deposit and implant.
  15. 15Again: Polish and measure: Layers 25–36: lower metal: polish and measure.
  16. 16Again: Waiting and transport between tools: The lot waits in wafer boxes for the next tools.
  17. 17Again: Exposure: Layers 37–48: upper metal: exposure.
  18. 18Again: Etch and clean: Layers 37–48: upper metal: etch and clean.
  19. 19Again: Deposit and implant: Layers 37–48: upper metal: deposit and implant.
  20. 20Again: Polish and measure: Layers 37–48: upper metal: polish and measure.

A customer brings a new chip

  1. 01Take over and check the design: Customer engineering takes over the finished design and checks it against the fab rules.
  2. 02Make photomasks: A photomask is made for every layer.
  3. 03First wafers as hot lot: The first wafers run through the fab as a hot lot.
  4. 04Customer checks the first chips: The customer brings up the first chips.
  5. 05Release to volume: Release to volume.
  6. 06In volume.

Yield drops

  1. 01Yield drops in test: In wafer test suddenly more chips fail.
  2. 02Failure analysis: defect map: Failure analysis overlays a defect map: it points to an etch tool.
  3. 03Hold the tool, stop lots: The tool is put on hold, affected lots are stopped.
  4. 04Fix the cause: Equipment engineering looks for the cause.
  5. 05Equipment maker service: The maker's service arrives.
  6. 06Release the tool again: Test wafers run, the tool is released.
  7. 07Inform customers: Customer engineering informs affected customers.
  8. 08Fixed.

How a semiconductor manufacturer can use the model

  • Internal communication

    The whole fab in one picture: lithography, etch, deposition, metrology, wafer test and utilities across six buildings. The collaboration view draws arcs between the departments that work together, from the cleanroom to customer engineering.

    Per chiManagement, communications, all departments

  • Onboarding

    New hires follow a lot through all five loops to wafer test and see where their tool sits in the chain. An eight-step guided tour explains the controls on the first visit.

    Per chiNew staff in the fab, equipment engineering and customer engineering

  • Training

    Apprentices and students push wafer starts to full load, trigger cleanroom contamination and watch the queue in front of lithography grow – without touching a real tool.

    Per chiApprentices, work-study students, process and equipment technicians

  • Explaining to customers

    Customers see the path of their lot: release, five loops, wafer test, overseas packaging, final test. It shows why a chip takes weeks and what a second assembler would change.

    Per chiAutomotive, industrial and electronics customers, sales, customer engineering

  • Strategic overview

    ‘What each control does’ ranks wafer starts, lithography tools, predictive maintenance and a second assembler by their effect on cycle time. A voltage dip shows how much the fab depends on the grid.

    Per chiExecutive team, controlling, capital planning, risk management

Diagrams from the model

07

Diagrams from the model

‘Who works with whom’ as a dome of arcs – one of 14 diagrams calculated live from the same data.

The whole software

08

The whole software

Situation, key figure, time-lapse, six views, controls and disruptions: one click on a department shows its task, location and all relations.

What you can change

Controls

  • Wafer starts: More lots in the fab: queues before lithography grow.
  • Lithography tools: The most expensive lever in the fab.
  • Predictive maintenance: Tool sensor data: fewer excursions (model assumption).
  • Second assembler: Two assemblers: less waiting for packaging (model assumption).

Disruptions

  • Cleanroom contamination: For two days only half the tools work until cleaned.
  • Voltage dip in the grid: For twelve hours the tools restart after a voltage dip.
  • Demand wave: For two months all customers want more.
  • Manufacturing execution fails: For two hours no lot can be released or held.

What the model gives a chipmaker

  • 01

    Waiting made visible

    In a fab, cycle time is mostly waiting time. The model calculates it live and shows it as the largest block in the diagram – clearer than any spreadsheet.

  • 02

    A bottleneck you can test

    Raise wafer starts and the queue in front of lithography grows; add a tool and see what changes. The simulation keeps running while you move the controls.

  • 03

    The fab and its utilities

    Ultrapure water, gas and chemical storage and the substation are buildings of their own. A grid disruption shows how long the tools take to come back.

  • 04

    Fourteen diagrams, one model

    Cycle time, utilisation, supply chain and org chart are calculated live from the same simulation, in four groups. Nobody has to update a slide by hand.

  • 05

    Browser or big screen

    The model runs in the browser and on large projections, for customer visits or a staff meeting. A demo mode plays everything on its own.

  • LITHENA HALBLEITER am Morgen – tiefe Sonne, lange Schatten, die ersten Pendler auf dem Weg ins Haus.
    LITHENA HALBLEITER in the morning – low sun, long shadows, the first commuters on their way in.
  • 6 Häuser, 16 Abteilungen, rund 1.300 Beschäftigte: Im Abendlicht zeigen goldene Bögen, wer an wen berichtet.
    Administration and customer engineering in evening light – golden arcs show who reports to whom.
  • Kurz vor acht – Menschen strömen vom Parkplatz und von der Straße in die Häuser.
    Just before eight – people stream from the car park and the street into the buildings.
  • Blaue Stunde – In LITHENA HALBLEITER gehen die Fenster an.
    Blue hour – the windows of LITHENA HALBLEITER light up.
  • Nachts von oben – Verwaltung und Kundentechnik offen, die Datenleitungen leuchten über dem Quartier.
    At night from above – Administration and customer engineering opened up, data lines glowing across the site.
  • Verwaltung und Kundentechnik aufgeklappt – jede Etage mit Arbeitsplätzen und Menschen.
    Administration and customer engineering opened up – every floor with workplaces and people.
  • Dämmerung, Ansicht Leistung – Leuchtringe zeigen, wie ausgelastet jede Abteilung ist.
    Dusk, performance view – rings of light show how busy each department is.
  • Jedes Haus lässt sich öffnen, Etage für Etage – bis in einzelne Räume wie „Geschäftsführung“, mit Arbeitsplätzen und Menschen bei der Arbeit.
    A room of its own – Management.
  • Fab 1 offen – alle Geschosse mit Arbeitsplätzen und Menschen.
    Fab 1 opened up – every floor with workplaces and people.
  • Gas- und Chemielager – alle Geschosse auf einmal, Ansicht Leistung.
    Gas and chemical store – all floors at once, performance view.
  • Aufbau in der Dämmerung – goldene Bögen von jeder Etage zu den Häusern, die an sie berichten.
    Structure at dusk – golden arcs from every floor to the buildings reporting to it.
  • „Fab-Planung und Dispatching“ mit allen 4 Beziehungen: Lithografie, Yield Engineering und Fertigungssteuerung (MES) – und nach außen Gehäusefertiger (Übersee).
    Collaboration – Fab planning and dispatching with all 4 relations – to departments, buildings and partners.
  • Datenflüsse bei Nacht – Systeme und Nutzer, verbunden durch leuchtende Leitungen.
    Data flows at night – systems and users linked by glowing lines.
  • Datenflüsse in der Dämmerung – welche Abteilung welches System nutzt.
    Data flows at dusk – which department uses which system.
  • Aufbau über das ganze Quartier – Berichtswege zwischen den Häusern.
    Structure across the whole site – reporting lines between the buildings.
  • Das ganze Netz bei Nacht – Zusammenarbeit im Haus und weit hinaus.
    The whole network at night – collaboration inside and far beyond.
  • Ein einzelner Fall lässt sich verfolgen – Schritt für Schritt, mit der Wartezeit an jeder Station. Ziel: im Wafertest binnen 9 Wochen.
    Every step labelled – name, how many are waiting, utilisation.
  • Nachfragewelle – Ansicht Ressourcen, die Rückstände wachsen Etage für Etage.
    Demand wave – resources view, the backlog grows floor by floor.
  • Die Datenbögen werden rot, die Arbeit stockt – die Simulation zeigt, wo sich Vorgänge stauen und wie lange die Erholung dauert.
    Manufacturing execution fails – the data arcs turn red, work stalls.
  • Der Griff – Lithografie-Anlagen auf „zwei mehr“ – ein Lichtblitz zeigt, wo er wirkt.
    The lever – Lithography tools set to ‘two more’ – a flash shows where it acts.
  • Frühling bei LITHENA HALBLEITER – Verwaltung und Kundentechnik offen, Leuchtringe zeigen die Auslastung.
    Spring at LITHENA HALBLEITER – Administration and customer engineering opened up, rings show the workload.
  • Sommerabend – warmes Licht, lange Schatten, goldene Bögen über dem Platz.
    Summer evening – warm light, long shadows, golden arcs above the square.
  • Herbst – Laub auf den Wegen, Ansicht Leistung.
    Autumn – leaves on the paths, performance view.
  • Winterabend – Schnee auf dem Quartier, Verwaltung und Kundentechnik offen und hell, die Zusammenarbeit leuchtet.
    Winter evening – snow on the site, Administration and customer engineering open and lit, collaboration glowing.
  • „Wer mit wem arbeitet“ als Kuppel aus Bögen – eines von 14 Schaubildern, die live aus denselben Daten gerechnet werden.
    Diagram ‘Who works with whom’, calculated live from the model.
  • Schaubild „Jahr, Woche, Tag“, live aus dem Modell gerechnet.
    Diagram ‘Year, week, day’, calculated live from the model.
  • Schaubild „Führungsebenen als Treppe“, live aus dem Modell gerechnet.
    Diagram ‘Management levels as a staircase’, calculated live from the model.
  • Schaubild „Wie ein Vorgang fließt“, live aus dem Modell gerechnet.
    Diagram ‘How a case flows’, calculated live from the model.
  • Schaubild „Was welcher Regler bewirkt“, live aus dem Modell gerechnet.
    Diagram ‘What each control does’, calculated live from the model.
  • Schaubild „Woran die Arbeit hängt“, live aus dem Modell gerechnet.
    Diagram ‘What the work depends on’, calculated live from the model.
  • Schaubild „Wo es eng wird“, live aus dem Modell gerechnet.
    Diagram ‘Where it gets tight’, calculated live from the model.
  • Schaubild „Wer führt wen“, live aus dem Modell gerechnet.
    Diagram ‘Who leads whom’, calculated live from the model.
  • Die ganze Software – Lage, Kennzahl, Zeit, Ansichten und die Regler unten.
    The whole software – situation, key figure, time, views and the controls below.
  • Verwaltung und Kundentechnik gewählt – Etagenliste rechts, die Etagen schweben auseinander.
    Administration and customer engineering selected – floor list on the right, the floors drift apart.
  • Lage, Kennzahl, Zeitraffer, sechs Ansichten, Regler und Störungen: Ein Klick auf eine Abteilung zeigt Aufgabe, Ort und alle Beziehungen.
    Fab planning and dispatching – card with task, location and all relations.
  • Nachfragewelle ausgelöst – Chronik, Kennzahl und Engpass reagieren.
    Demand wave triggered – timeline, key figure and bottleneck react.
  • Gegensteuern – Lithografie-Anlagen aufgestockt – die Kachel zeigt die Wirkung seit dem Griff.
    Countering – Lithography tools increased – the tile shows the effect since the change.
  • Schaubild „Wie ein Vorgang fließt“ mit Tafel – Befunde in Sätzen.
    Diagram ‘How a case flows’ with its panel – findings in sentences.
  • Schaubild „Wer mit wem arbeitet“ mit Tafel.
    Diagram ‘Who works with whom’ with its panel.
  • Vorgang verfolgen – Schritt, Wartezeit und Zusage auf der Karte.
    Follow a case – step, waiting time and target on the card.
  • Der Rundgang führt in acht Schritten durch die Software.
    The tour leads through the software in eight steps.
  • 36 Organisationen zur Auswahl, jede mit eigenem Bild.
    36 organisations to choose from, each with its own picture.

Your fab as a model

Tell us about your fab: which data exist, which questions the model should answer and who will work with it. The password for the simulation comes by email once you ask for it.

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Chiedere informazioni

Minimal Organization: Halbleiterhersteller

I dati vanno solo a questo sito e servono unicamente a risponderle.

Basis and limits

Fictional semiconductor manufacturer · model based on researched industry structures · no forecast for real companies

1 case = 1 lot (25 wafers), 1 new chip or 1 yield excursion · 1 figure ≈ 20 employees

All volumes, durations, rates and capacities are model assumptions, not values of a real fab.

Twelve mask layers each are bundled into one pass; waiting between tools is combined into one station.

Documented: cycle time of about twelve weeks with hundreds of steps, lithography as the bottleneck, packaging and final test often at other firms in other regions.

Public sources the model is based on:

  • SIA/BCG: Strengthening the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain
  • SIA: why ramping up production takes time
  • SemiEngineering: Battling Fab Cycle Times
  • EU Chips Act, VO (EU) 2023/1781

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All data for LITHENA HALBLEITER are fictional. The model can be fitted to your fab's real data and filled with information that is not visible anywhere today – for example actual lot moves from your MES or maintenance windows for each lithography tool.