Scheduling in manufacturing environments

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code that, when executed by a processor, performs an operation for executing a block-based (BB) workflow to provide a schedule for a semiconductor manufacturing environment, the operation comprising:

• receiving at least one BB workflow comprising a plurality of blocks, wherein the plurality of blocks specify a set of operations for generating the schedule for the semiconductor manufacturing environment;
• accessing a plurality of block definitions corresponding to the plurality of blocks;
• and
• executing the at least one BB workflow by performing the set of operations based on the plurality of block definitions, comprising:
• extracting data from the semiconductor manufacturing environment, wherein the data describes a number of lots available for processing and one or more manufacturing tools operating in the semiconductor manufacturing environment, and wherein each lot comprises a plurality of semiconductor substrates or a plurality of semiconductor die;
• determining, based on the extracted data, an allocation of the number of lots to the one or more manufacturing tools operating in the semiconductor manufacturing environment, and an order in which the lots should be processed by the one or more manufacturing tools;
• and
• publishing the determined allocation and processing order to at least one another manufacturing tool in the semiconductor manufacturing environment;
• and
• operating one or more manufacturing tools in the semiconductor manufacturing environment to at least one of fabricate, package, or test one or more semiconductor devices on the plurality of semiconductor substrates or the plurality of semiconductor die according to the determined allocation and processing order.

A scheduling system for a semiconductor manufacturing environment, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing environment comprises a plurality of lots and one or more tools for processing the lots, the scheduling system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• a memory containing a program that, when executed by the at least one processor, performs an operation for executing a block-based (BB) workflow to provide a schedule for the semiconductor manufacturing environment, the operation comprising:
• receiving at least one BB workflow comprising a plurality of blocks, wherein the plurality of blocks specify a set of operations for generating the schedule for the semiconductor manufacturing environment;
• accessing a plurality of block definitions corresponding to the plurality of blocks;
• and
• executing the at least one BB workflow by performing the set of operations based on the plurality of block definitions, comprising:
• extracting data from the semiconductor manufacturing environment, wherein the data describes a number of lots available for processing and one or more manufacturing tools operating in the semiconductor manufacturing environment, and wherein each lot comprises a plurality of semiconductor substrates or a plurality of semiconductor die;
• determining, based on the extracted data, an allocation of the number of lots to the one or more manufacturing tools operating in the semiconductor manufacturing environment, and an order in which the lots should be processed by the one or more manufacturing tools;
• and
• publishing the determined allocation and processing order to at least one another manufacturing tool in the semiconductor manufacturing environment;
• and
• operating one or more manufacturing tools in the semiconductor manufacturing environment to at least one of fabricate, package, or test one or more semiconductor devices on the plurality of semiconductor substrates or the plurality of semiconductor die according to the determined allocation and processing order.