Shale oil reservoir is generally characterized by well-developed bedding planes,and multi-cluster fracturing is the most effective technique to achieve stable shale oil production.In this paper,a multi-cluster fractur...Shale oil reservoir is generally characterized by well-developed bedding planes,and multi-cluster fracturing is the most effective technique to achieve stable shale oil production.In this paper,a multi-cluster fracturing model for a horizontal well in shale with high-density bedding planes is established.The fracture morphology,fracture geometry,fracturing area and multiple fracture propagation mechanism are analyzed under simultaneous fracturing,sequential fracturing,and alternative fracturing.Results show that in the case of small cluster spacing and three clusters,the growth of the middle fracture is inhibited and develops along the bedding planes under both simultaneous fracturing and alternative fracturing.For sequential fracturing,the increase in the interval time between each fracturing advances the post fracturing fracture deflecting to the pre-existing fractures through the bedding planes.The reactivation of the bedding planes can promote the extension of the fracturing area.Increasing the injection rate and the number of clusters promotes the activation of bedding planes.However,it is preferable to reduce the number of clusters to obtain more main fractures.Compared with modified alternating fracturing and cyclic alternating fracturing,alternating shut-in fracturing creates more main fractures towards the direction of the maximum in-situ stress.The fracturing efficiency for high-density layered shale is ranked as simultaneous fracturing>alternative fracturing>sequential fracturing.展开更多
The Carter model is used to characterize the dynamic behaviors of fracture growth and fracturing fluid leakoff.A thermo-fluid coupling temperature response forward model is built considering the fluid flow and heat tr...The Carter model is used to characterize the dynamic behaviors of fracture growth and fracturing fluid leakoff.A thermo-fluid coupling temperature response forward model is built considering the fluid flow and heat transfer in wellbore,fracture and reservoir.The influences of fracturing parameters and fracture parameters on the responses of distributed temperature sensing(DTS)are analyzed,and a diagnosis method of fracture parameters is presented based on the simulated annealing algorithm.A field case study is introduced to verify the model’s reliability.Typical V-shaped characteristics can be observed from the DTS responses in the multi-cluster fracturing process,with locations corresponding to the hydraulic fractures.The V-shape depth is shallower for a higher injection rate and longer fracturing and shut-in time.Also,the V-shape is wider for a higher fracture-surface leakoff coefficient,longer fracturing time and smaller fracture width.Additionally,the cooling effect near the wellbore continues to spread into the reservoir during the shut-in period,causing the DTS temperature to decrease instead of rise.Real-time monitoring and interpretation of DTS temperature data can help understand the fracture propagation during fracturing operation,so that immediate measures can be taken to improve the fracturing performance.展开更多
Hepatitis B virus remains a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma,with genetic polymorphisms and mutations influencing immune responses and disease progression.Nguyen et al present novel findings on sp...Hepatitis B virus remains a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma,with genetic polymorphisms and mutations influencing immune responses and disease progression.Nguyen et al present novel findings on specific human leukocyte antigen(HLA)alleles,including rs2856718 of HLA-DQ and rs3077 and rs9277535 of HLA-DP,which may predispose individuals to cirrhosis and liver cancer,based on multi-clustering analysis.Here,we discuss the feasibility of this approach and identify key areas for further investigation,aiming to offer insights for advancing clinical practice and research in liver disease and related cancers.展开更多
BACKGROUND Human leukocyte antigen(HLA)class II molecules are cell surface receptor proteins found on antigen-presenting cells.Polymorphisms and mutations in the HLA gene can affect the immune system and the progressi...BACKGROUND Human leukocyte antigen(HLA)class II molecules are cell surface receptor proteins found on antigen-presenting cells.Polymorphisms and mutations in the HLA gene can affect the immune system and the progression of hepatitis B.AIM To study the relation between rs2856718 of HLA-DQ,rs3077,and rs9277535 of HLA-DP,hepatitis B virus(HBV)-related cirrhosis,and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).METHODS In this case-control study,the genotypes of these single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)were screened in 315 healthy controls,471 chronic hepatitis B patients,250 patients with HBV-related liver cirrhosis,and 251 patients with HCC using TaqMan real-time PCR.We conducted Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and linkage disequilibrium tests on the genotype distributions of rs2856718,rs3077,and rs9277535 before hierarchical clustering analysis to build the complex interaction between the markers in each patient group.RESULTS The physical distance separating these SNPs was 29816 kB with the disequilibrium(D’)values ranging from 0.07 to 0.34.The close linkage between rs3077 and rs9277535 was attributed to a distance of 21 kB.The D’value decreased from moderate in the healthy control group(D’=0.50,P<0.05)to weak in the hepatic disease group(D’<0.3,P<0.05).In a combination of the three variants rs2856718,rs3077,and rs9277535,the A allele decreased hepatic disease risk[A-A-A haplotype,risk ratio(RR)=0.44(0.14;1.37),P<0.05].The G allele had the opposite effect[G-A/G-G haplotype,RR=1.12(1.02;1.23),P<0.05].In liver cancer cases,the A-A-A/G haplotype increased the risk of HCC by 1.58(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Rs9277535 affects liver fibrosis progression due to HBV infection,while rs3077 is associated with a risk of HBVrelated HCC.The link between rs2856718,rs3077,and rs9277535 and disease risk was determined using a multiclustering analysis.展开更多
The continental shale reservoirs of Jurassic Lianggaoshan Formation in Sichuan Basin contain thin lamina,which is characterized by strong plasticity and developed longitudinal shell limestone interlayer.To improve the...The continental shale reservoirs of Jurassic Lianggaoshan Formation in Sichuan Basin contain thin lamina,which is characterized by strong plasticity and developed longitudinal shell limestone interlayer.To improve the production efficiency of reservoirs by multi-cluster fracturing,it is necessary to consider the unbalanced propagation of hydraulic fractures and the penetration effect of fractures.This paper constructed a numerical model of multi-fracture propagation and penetration based on the finite element coupling cohesive zone method;considering the construction cluster spacing,pump rate,lamina strength and other parameters studied the influencing factors of multi-cluster fracture interaction propagation;combined with AE energy data and fracture mode reconstruction method,quantitatively characterized the comprehensive impact of the strength of thin interlayer rock interfaces on the initiation and propagation of fractures that penetrate layers,and accurately predicted the propagation pattern of hydraulic fractures through laminated shale oil reservoirs.Simulation results revealed that in the process of multi-cluster fracturing,the proportion of shear damage is low,and mainly occurs in bedding fractures activated by outer fractures.Reducing the cluster spacing enhances the fracture system's penetration ability,though it lowers the activation efficiency of lamina.The high plasticity of the limestone interlayer may impact the vertical propagation distance of the main fracture.Improving the interface strength is beneficial to the reconstruction of the fracture height,but the interface communication effect is limited.Reasonable selection of layers with moderate lamina strength for fracturing stimulation,increasing the pump rate during fracturing and setting the cluster spacing reasonably are beneficial to improve the effect of reservoir stimulation.展开更多
This study conducted temporary plugging and diversion fracturing(TPDF)experiments using a true triaxial fracturing simulation system within a laboratory setting that replicated a lab-based horizontal well completion w...This study conducted temporary plugging and diversion fracturing(TPDF)experiments using a true triaxial fracturing simulation system within a laboratory setting that replicated a lab-based horizontal well completion with multi-cluster sand jetting perforation.The effects of temporary plugging agent(TPA)particle size,TPA concentration,single-cluster perforation number and cluster number on plugging pressure,multi-fracture diversion pattern and distribution of TPAs were investigated.A combination of TPAs with small particle sizes within the fracture and large particle sizes within the segment is conducive to increasing the plugging pressure and promoting the diversion of multi-fractures.The addition of fibers can quickly achieve ultra-high pressure,but it may lead to longitudinal fractures extending along the wellbore.The temporary plugging peak pressure increases with an increase in the concentration of the TPA,reaching a peak at a certain concentration,and further increases do not significantly improve the temporary plugging peak pressure.The breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure show a decreasing trend with an increase in single-cluster perforation number.A lower number of single-cluster perforations is beneficial for increasing the breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure,and it has a more significant control on the propagation of multi-cluster fractures.A lower number of clusters is not conducive to increasing the total number and complexity of artificial fractures,while a higher number of clusters makes it difficult to achieve effective plugging.The TPAs within the fracture is mainly concentrated in the complex fracture areas,especially at the intersections of fractures.Meanwhile,the TPAs within the segment are primarily distributed near the perforation cluster apertures which initiated complex fractures.展开更多
Multistage multi-cluster hydraulic fracturing has enabled the economic exploitation of shale reservoirs,but the interpretation of hydraulic fracture parameters is challenging.The pressure signals after pump shutdown a...Multistage multi-cluster hydraulic fracturing has enabled the economic exploitation of shale reservoirs,but the interpretation of hydraulic fracture parameters is challenging.The pressure signals after pump shutdown are influenced by hydraulic fractures,which can reflect the geometric features of hydraulic fracture.The shutdown pressure can be used to interpret the hydraulic fracture parameters in a real-time and cost-effective manner.In this paper,a mathematical model for shutdown pressure evolution is developed considering the effects of wellbore friction,perforation friction and fluid loss in fractures.An efficient numerical simulation method is established by using the method of characteristics.Based on this method,the impacts of fracture half-length,fracture height,opened cluster and perforation number,and filtration coefficient on the evolution of shutdown pressure are analyzed.The results indicate that a larger fracture half-length may hasten the decay of shutdown pressure,while a larger fracture height can slow down the decay of shutdown pressure.A smaller number of opened clusters and perforations can significantly increase the perforation friction and decrease the overall level of shutdown pressure.A larger filtration coefficient may accelerate the fluid filtration in the fracture and hasten the drop of the shutdown pressure.The simulation method of shutdown pressure,as well as the analysis results,has important implications for the interpretation of hydraulic fracture parameters.展开更多
A treelike hybrid multi-cluster tool is composed of both single-arm and dual-arm cluster tools with a treelike topology. Scheduling such a tool is challenging. For a hybrid treelike multi-cluster tool whose bottleneck...A treelike hybrid multi-cluster tool is composed of both single-arm and dual-arm cluster tools with a treelike topology. Scheduling such a tool is challenging. For a hybrid treelike multi-cluster tool whose bottleneck individual tool is process-bound, this work aims at finding its optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule. It is modeled with Petri nets such that a onewafer cyclic schedule is parameterized as its robots' waiting time.Based on the model, this work proves the existence of its onewafer cyclic schedule that features with the ease of industrial implementation. Then, computationally efficient algorithms are proposed to find the minimal cycle time and optimal onewafer cyclic schedule. Multi-cluster tool examples are given to illustrate the proposed approach. The use of the found schedules enables industrial multi-cluster tools to operate with their highest productivity.展开更多
Multi-cluster tools are widely used in majority of wafer fabrication processes in semiconductor industry. Smaller lot production, thinner circuit width in wafers, larger wafer size, and maintenance have resulted in a ...Multi-cluster tools are widely used in majority of wafer fabrication processes in semiconductor industry. Smaller lot production, thinner circuit width in wafers, larger wafer size, and maintenance have resulted in a large quantity of their start-up and close-down transient periods. Yet, most of existing efforts have been concentrated on scheduling their steady states.Different from such efforts, this work schedules their transient and steady-state periods subject to wafer residency constraints. It gives the schedulability conditions for the steady-state scheduling of dual-blade robotic multi-cluster tools and a corresponding algorithm for finding an optimal schedule. Based on the robot synchronization conditions, a linear program is proposed to figure out an optimal schedule for a start-up period, which ensures a tool to enter the desired optimal steady state. Another linear program is proposed to find an optimal schedule for a closedown period that evolves from the steady state period. Finally,industrial cases are presented to illustrate how the provided method outperforms the existing approach in terms of system throughput improvement.展开更多
As wafer circuit widths shrink less than 10 nm,stringent quality control is imposed on the wafer fabrication processes. Therefore, wafer residency time constraints and chamber cleaning operations are widely required i...As wafer circuit widths shrink less than 10 nm,stringent quality control is imposed on the wafer fabrication processes. Therefore, wafer residency time constraints and chamber cleaning operations are widely required in chemical vapor deposition, coating processes, etc. They increase scheduling complexity in cluster tools. In this paper, we focus on scheduling single-arm multi-cluster tools with chamber cleaning operations subject to wafer residency time constraints. When a chamber is being cleaned, it can be viewed as processing a virtual wafer. In this way, chamber cleaning operations can be performed while wafer residency time constraints for real wafers are not violated. Based on such a method, we present the necessary and sufficient conditions to analytically check whether a single-arm multi-cluster tool can be scheduled with a chamber cleaning operation and wafer residency time constraints. An algorithm is proposed to adjust the cycle time for a cleaning operation that lasts a long cleaning time.Meanwhile, algorithms for a feasible schedule are also derived.And an algorithm is presented for operating a multi-cluster tool back to a steady state after the cleaning. Illustrative examples are given to show the application and effectiveness of the proposed method.展开更多
This paper analyzes the multi-cluster flocking behavior of a Cucker-Smale model involving delays and a short-range communication weight.In each sub-flocking group,the velocity between agents is alignment and the posit...This paper analyzes the multi-cluster flocking behavior of a Cucker-Smale model involving delays and a short-range communication weight.In each sub-flocking group,the velocity between agents is alignment and the position locates at a limited domain;but in different sub-flocking groups,the position between agents is unbounded.By constructing dissipative differential inequalities of subensembles together with Lyapunov functional methods,the authors provide the sufficient condition for the multi-cluster flocking emerging.The sufficient condition includes the estimation of the range of coupling strength and the upper bound of time delay.As a result,the authors show that the coupling strength among agents and initial threshold value determine the multi-cluster flocking behavior of the delayed Cucker-Smale model.展开更多
基金the financial support from Intergovernmental International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Key Project(2022YFE0128400)National Natural Science Foundation of China(42307209)+2 种基金Shanghai Pujiang Program(2022PJD076)State Energy Center for Shale Oil Research and Development(33550000-22-ZC0613-0365)Natural Science Foundation of Qinghai Province(No.2024-ZJ-717).
文摘Shale oil reservoir is generally characterized by well-developed bedding planes,and multi-cluster fracturing is the most effective technique to achieve stable shale oil production.In this paper,a multi-cluster fracturing model for a horizontal well in shale with high-density bedding planes is established.The fracture morphology,fracture geometry,fracturing area and multiple fracture propagation mechanism are analyzed under simultaneous fracturing,sequential fracturing,and alternative fracturing.Results show that in the case of small cluster spacing and three clusters,the growth of the middle fracture is inhibited and develops along the bedding planes under both simultaneous fracturing and alternative fracturing.For sequential fracturing,the increase in the interval time between each fracturing advances the post fracturing fracture deflecting to the pre-existing fractures through the bedding planes.The reactivation of the bedding planes can promote the extension of the fracturing area.Increasing the injection rate and the number of clusters promotes the activation of bedding planes.However,it is preferable to reduce the number of clusters to obtain more main fractures.Compared with modified alternating fracturing and cyclic alternating fracturing,alternating shut-in fracturing creates more main fractures towards the direction of the maximum in-situ stress.The fracturing efficiency for high-density layered shale is ranked as simultaneous fracturing>alternative fracturing>sequential fracturing.
基金Supported by the National High-Tech Research Project(GJSCB-HFGDY-2024-004)National Natural Science Foundation of China(12402305)+2 种基金Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF(GZC20232200)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2024M762703)Sichuan Science and Technology Program(2025ZNSFSC1352)。
文摘The Carter model is used to characterize the dynamic behaviors of fracture growth and fracturing fluid leakoff.A thermo-fluid coupling temperature response forward model is built considering the fluid flow and heat transfer in wellbore,fracture and reservoir.The influences of fracturing parameters and fracture parameters on the responses of distributed temperature sensing(DTS)are analyzed,and a diagnosis method of fracture parameters is presented based on the simulated annealing algorithm.A field case study is introduced to verify the model’s reliability.Typical V-shaped characteristics can be observed from the DTS responses in the multi-cluster fracturing process,with locations corresponding to the hydraulic fractures.The V-shape depth is shallower for a higher injection rate and longer fracturing and shut-in time.Also,the V-shape is wider for a higher fracture-surface leakoff coefficient,longer fracturing time and smaller fracture width.Additionally,the cooling effect near the wellbore continues to spread into the reservoir during the shut-in period,causing the DTS temperature to decrease instead of rise.Real-time monitoring and interpretation of DTS temperature data can help understand the fracture propagation during fracturing operation,so that immediate measures can be taken to improve the fracturing performance.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.32270768,No.82273970,No.32070726,and No.82370715National Key R&D Program of China,No.2023YFC2507904the Innovation Group Project of Hubei Province,No.2023AFA026.
文摘Hepatitis B virus remains a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma,with genetic polymorphisms and mutations influencing immune responses and disease progression.Nguyen et al present novel findings on specific human leukocyte antigen(HLA)alleles,including rs2856718 of HLA-DQ and rs3077 and rs9277535 of HLA-DP,which may predispose individuals to cirrhosis and liver cancer,based on multi-clustering analysis.Here,we discuss the feasibility of this approach and identify key areas for further investigation,aiming to offer insights for advancing clinical practice and research in liver disease and related cancers.
基金Supported by National Foundation for Science and Technology Development(NAFOSTED)-Ministry of Science and Technology,Viet Nam,No.108.02-2019.307.
文摘BACKGROUND Human leukocyte antigen(HLA)class II molecules are cell surface receptor proteins found on antigen-presenting cells.Polymorphisms and mutations in the HLA gene can affect the immune system and the progression of hepatitis B.AIM To study the relation between rs2856718 of HLA-DQ,rs3077,and rs9277535 of HLA-DP,hepatitis B virus(HBV)-related cirrhosis,and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).METHODS In this case-control study,the genotypes of these single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)were screened in 315 healthy controls,471 chronic hepatitis B patients,250 patients with HBV-related liver cirrhosis,and 251 patients with HCC using TaqMan real-time PCR.We conducted Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and linkage disequilibrium tests on the genotype distributions of rs2856718,rs3077,and rs9277535 before hierarchical clustering analysis to build the complex interaction between the markers in each patient group.RESULTS The physical distance separating these SNPs was 29816 kB with the disequilibrium(D’)values ranging from 0.07 to 0.34.The close linkage between rs3077 and rs9277535 was attributed to a distance of 21 kB.The D’value decreased from moderate in the healthy control group(D’=0.50,P<0.05)to weak in the hepatic disease group(D’<0.3,P<0.05).In a combination of the three variants rs2856718,rs3077,and rs9277535,the A allele decreased hepatic disease risk[A-A-A haplotype,risk ratio(RR)=0.44(0.14;1.37),P<0.05].The G allele had the opposite effect[G-A/G-G haplotype,RR=1.12(1.02;1.23),P<0.05].In liver cancer cases,the A-A-A/G haplotype increased the risk of HCC by 1.58(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Rs9277535 affects liver fibrosis progression due to HBV infection,while rs3077 is associated with a risk of HBVrelated HCC.The link between rs2856718,rs3077,and rs9277535 and disease risk was determined using a multiclustering analysis.
基金financial support by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No.2022YFE0129800)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.52074311)。
文摘The continental shale reservoirs of Jurassic Lianggaoshan Formation in Sichuan Basin contain thin lamina,which is characterized by strong plasticity and developed longitudinal shell limestone interlayer.To improve the production efficiency of reservoirs by multi-cluster fracturing,it is necessary to consider the unbalanced propagation of hydraulic fractures and the penetration effect of fractures.This paper constructed a numerical model of multi-fracture propagation and penetration based on the finite element coupling cohesive zone method;considering the construction cluster spacing,pump rate,lamina strength and other parameters studied the influencing factors of multi-cluster fracture interaction propagation;combined with AE energy data and fracture mode reconstruction method,quantitatively characterized the comprehensive impact of the strength of thin interlayer rock interfaces on the initiation and propagation of fractures that penetrate layers,and accurately predicted the propagation pattern of hydraulic fractures through laminated shale oil reservoirs.Simulation results revealed that in the process of multi-cluster fracturing,the proportion of shear damage is low,and mainly occurs in bedding fractures activated by outer fractures.Reducing the cluster spacing enhances the fracture system's penetration ability,though it lowers the activation efficiency of lamina.The high plasticity of the limestone interlayer may impact the vertical propagation distance of the main fracture.Improving the interface strength is beneficial to the reconstruction of the fracture height,but the interface communication effect is limited.Reasonable selection of layers with moderate lamina strength for fracturing stimulation,increasing the pump rate during fracturing and setting the cluster spacing reasonably are beneficial to improve the effect of reservoir stimulation.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51974332).
文摘This study conducted temporary plugging and diversion fracturing(TPDF)experiments using a true triaxial fracturing simulation system within a laboratory setting that replicated a lab-based horizontal well completion with multi-cluster sand jetting perforation.The effects of temporary plugging agent(TPA)particle size,TPA concentration,single-cluster perforation number and cluster number on plugging pressure,multi-fracture diversion pattern and distribution of TPAs were investigated.A combination of TPAs with small particle sizes within the fracture and large particle sizes within the segment is conducive to increasing the plugging pressure and promoting the diversion of multi-fractures.The addition of fibers can quickly achieve ultra-high pressure,but it may lead to longitudinal fractures extending along the wellbore.The temporary plugging peak pressure increases with an increase in the concentration of the TPA,reaching a peak at a certain concentration,and further increases do not significantly improve the temporary plugging peak pressure.The breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure show a decreasing trend with an increase in single-cluster perforation number.A lower number of single-cluster perforations is beneficial for increasing the breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure,and it has a more significant control on the propagation of multi-cluster fractures.A lower number of clusters is not conducive to increasing the total number and complexity of artificial fractures,while a higher number of clusters makes it difficult to achieve effective plugging.The TPAs within the fracture is mainly concentrated in the complex fracture areas,especially at the intersections of fractures.Meanwhile,the TPAs within the segment are primarily distributed near the perforation cluster apertures which initiated complex fractures.
基金The work is supported by the Sub-Project of“Research on Key Technologies and Equipment of Reservoir Stimulation”of China National Petroleum Corporation Post–14th Five-Year Plan Forward-Looking Major Science and Technology Project“Research on New Technology of Monitoring and Diagnosis of Horizontal Well Hydraulic Fracture Network Distribution Pattern”(2021DJ4502).
文摘Multistage multi-cluster hydraulic fracturing has enabled the economic exploitation of shale reservoirs,but the interpretation of hydraulic fracture parameters is challenging.The pressure signals after pump shutdown are influenced by hydraulic fractures,which can reflect the geometric features of hydraulic fracture.The shutdown pressure can be used to interpret the hydraulic fracture parameters in a real-time and cost-effective manner.In this paper,a mathematical model for shutdown pressure evolution is developed considering the effects of wellbore friction,perforation friction and fluid loss in fractures.An efficient numerical simulation method is established by using the method of characteristics.Based on this method,the impacts of fracture half-length,fracture height,opened cluster and perforation number,and filtration coefficient on the evolution of shutdown pressure are analyzed.The results indicate that a larger fracture half-length may hasten the decay of shutdown pressure,while a larger fracture height can slow down the decay of shutdown pressure.A smaller number of opened clusters and perforations can significantly increase the perforation friction and decrease the overall level of shutdown pressure.A larger filtration coefficient may accelerate the fluid filtration in the fracture and hasten the drop of the shutdown pressure.The simulation method of shutdown pressure,as well as the analysis results,has important implications for the interpretation of hydraulic fracture parameters.
基金supported in part by Science and Technology Development Fund(FDCT)of Macao(106/2016/A3)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U1401240)the Delta Electronics Inc and the National Research Foundation(NRF)Singapore under the Corp Lab@University Scheme
文摘A treelike hybrid multi-cluster tool is composed of both single-arm and dual-arm cluster tools with a treelike topology. Scheduling such a tool is challenging. For a hybrid treelike multi-cluster tool whose bottleneck individual tool is process-bound, this work aims at finding its optimal one-wafer cyclic schedule. It is modeled with Petri nets such that a onewafer cyclic schedule is parameterized as its robots' waiting time.Based on the model, this work proves the existence of its onewafer cyclic schedule that features with the ease of industrial implementation. Then, computationally efficient algorithms are proposed to find the minimal cycle time and optimal onewafer cyclic schedule. Multi-cluster tool examples are given to illustrate the proposed approach. The use of the found schedules enables industrial multi-cluster tools to operate with their highest productivity.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(61673123,61803397)the Science and Technology Development Fund(FDCT)of Macao(106/2016/A3,005/2018/A1,011/2017/A,0017/2019/A1)
文摘Multi-cluster tools are widely used in majority of wafer fabrication processes in semiconductor industry. Smaller lot production, thinner circuit width in wafers, larger wafer size, and maintenance have resulted in a large quantity of their start-up and close-down transient periods. Yet, most of existing efforts have been concentrated on scheduling their steady states.Different from such efforts, this work schedules their transient and steady-state periods subject to wafer residency constraints. It gives the schedulability conditions for the steady-state scheduling of dual-blade robotic multi-cluster tools and a corresponding algorithm for finding an optimal schedule. Based on the robot synchronization conditions, a linear program is proposed to figure out an optimal schedule for a start-up period, which ensures a tool to enter the desired optimal steady state. Another linear program is proposed to find an optimal schedule for a closedown period that evolves from the steady state period. Finally,industrial cases are presented to illustrate how the provided method outperforms the existing approach in terms of system throughput improvement.
基金supported in part by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province,China (2022A1515011310)。
文摘As wafer circuit widths shrink less than 10 nm,stringent quality control is imposed on the wafer fabrication processes. Therefore, wafer residency time constraints and chamber cleaning operations are widely required in chemical vapor deposition, coating processes, etc. They increase scheduling complexity in cluster tools. In this paper, we focus on scheduling single-arm multi-cluster tools with chamber cleaning operations subject to wafer residency time constraints. When a chamber is being cleaned, it can be viewed as processing a virtual wafer. In this way, chamber cleaning operations can be performed while wafer residency time constraints for real wafers are not violated. Based on such a method, we present the necessary and sufficient conditions to analytically check whether a single-arm multi-cluster tool can be scheduled with a chamber cleaning operation and wafer residency time constraints. An algorithm is proposed to adjust the cycle time for a cleaning operation that lasts a long cleaning time.Meanwhile, algorithms for a feasible schedule are also derived.And an algorithm is presented for operating a multi-cluster tool back to a steady state after the cleaning. Illustrative examples are given to show the application and effectiveness of the proposed method.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.11671011and 11428101。
文摘This paper analyzes the multi-cluster flocking behavior of a Cucker-Smale model involving delays and a short-range communication weight.In each sub-flocking group,the velocity between agents is alignment and the position locates at a limited domain;but in different sub-flocking groups,the position between agents is unbounded.By constructing dissipative differential inequalities of subensembles together with Lyapunov functional methods,the authors provide the sufficient condition for the multi-cluster flocking emerging.The sufficient condition includes the estimation of the range of coupling strength and the upper bound of time delay.As a result,the authors show that the coupling strength among agents and initial threshold value determine the multi-cluster flocking behavior of the delayed Cucker-Smale model.
