The development of a RFID and agent-based lot management controller for PROMIS in a client/server structure for IC assembly firm

Many integrated circuit assembly firms today are struggling in a low-profit environment. To survive in the semiconductor industry, it requires assembly firms to do their best efforts in enhancing their competitive advantages. One effective way for an assembly firm to enhance its competitiveness is the introduction of advanced technologies into its shop floor control system (SFCS) to improve assembly yield and lower assembly costs. In this study, two advanced technologies, Radio Frequency Identification and agent-based approach, were used to initiate a lot management controller (LMC), which played as a thin client in a client/server architecture to cooperate with PROMIS, a SFCS being widely used in the semiconductor industry. In addition, an eight-stage software process, which is based on Unified Modeling Language, is proposed to facilitate the development of the LMC.