Guest Editorial: Equipment and Operations Automation in the Semiconductor Industry

Abstract : The semiconductor industry is a key element of all modern economies, contributing either directly via manufacturing of computer chips or indirectly through manufacturing of high-tech goods and the support of services. However, this value comes at a cost. Semiconductor wafer fabrication is arguably the most complex of all manufacturing processes and a state-of-the-art wafer fabrication facility can cost on the order of US $5 billion. As such, equipment and operations automation promises to lead the revolution toward the next-generation factories; it is the theme of this Special Section of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AUTOMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.