Learning to see" is the message of the powerful Value Stream Mapping (VSM) technique, which was developed within the lean production paradigm to help practitioners redesign production systems, eliminate waste and create continuous flow manufacturing in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment. It was originally developed mainly for disconnected flow lines of the automotive industry. In this contribution, both the adaption of this method to the characteristics of semiconductor manufacturing and its application in a Wafertest environment at Infineon Technologies, an important frontend site for microcontroller manufacturing, are shown. The article provides guidelines on how to implement continuous flow manufacturing into typical semiconductor production areas. The advantages of this production principle, as well as the special expenditures during the implementation, are demonstrated. Value Stream Design; continuous flow manufacturing;Wafertest; high-mix, low-volume, job shop; semiconductor industry

Customers demand more and more integrated functions on one chip; as a result, semiconductor product complexity is increasing tremendously. This development results in increasing production process complexity, reflected in the incorporation of additional lithography layers, for example, which causes longer cycle times, higher costs and extended feedback loops for making quality improvement. Each additional process step introduces at least five additional logistics steps, as each lot has to be handled and transported twice over and also stored temporarily. This scenario is leading to a 'logistical trap' in which there is a high proportion of non value-add time. The main leverage to improve long cycle times is the redesign of product workflow for excellence, which means aiming for short cycle times, low production costs and, at the same time, high product quality.Index Terms-Redesign of legacy processes for excellence (DfX), evaluation of product workflow, reducing cycle time and costs, improve quality by shorter feedback loops.

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