Abstract—This paper investigates the improvements done in capacity and cycle time in semiconductor fabrication foundries. The study will summarize all the techniques, method and know-how used by various foundries to achieve optimum capacity and cycle time. This is important since in 2011, IC Insight reported that the semiconductor content in electronic systems growth was  25% compared to 12% in year 1989. The global semiconductor market has grown 4% for the first three quarters of 2013 compared to a year ago. The trend shows increasing demand and need for continuous focus for improvement in capacity and cycle time. In recent literatures, there is a big gap in cycle time requirement by ITRS versus actual performances by foundries. Study shows a cycle-time gap of up to 30 days. Some of the customers need to wait for additional 30 days for their chips to be fabricated in the wafer fabrication factory. The continuous growth in demand is forcing foundries to re-look at how to improve cycle-time and capacity without spending on new tool purchases. The constraint at wafer fabrication foundries are opening doors for more collaboration and discussion on how to improve the situations. A total of ten projects were evaluated and this paper will summarize the key findings from literatures for potential implementation and to be used as guide for future improvements.

Keywords— cycle time; capacity; wafer fabrication; semiconductor