Papers
21
Total Citations
630
H-Index
12
About
QingHua Zhu is a leading researcher in the modeling, scheduling, and optimization of robotic cluster tools for semiconductor wafer fabrication. Her work focuses on the critical challenge of managing time-constrained processes, where wafers must exit process modules before exceeding strict residency time limits—a violation that can ruin entire batches. Zhu has made foundational contributions by developing advanced Petri net models that capture the complex, concurrent behavior of single-arm, dual-arm, and multi-cluster tools. She has pioneered optimal scheduling strategies for both steady-state and transient periods, including the start-up and close-down processes that are essential for maintenance and product switching. Her research addresses real-world complexities such as activity time variation, wafer revisiting, and the concurrent processing of multiple wafer types. With over 500 total citations, her most influential work—a 2016 paper on Petri net modeling for close-down processes—has been cited 112 times. Zhu’s systematic approach has produced a suite of provably optimal one-wafer cyclic schedules, significantly improving throughput and reliability in semiconductor manufacturing. Her work is essential reading for anyone studying automation, discrete event systems, or production scheduling in high-tech industries.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 8Optimally Scheduling Dual-Arm Multi-Cluster Tools to Process Two Wafer Types27 citations · 2022
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- 10Multiobjective Scheduling of Dual-Blade Robotic Cells in Wafer Fabrication26 citations · 2019