Robust parameter design for multiple-stage nanomanufacturing

Process reproducibility is a major concern for scientists and engineers, especially when new processes or new products are transitioned from laboratory-scale to full-scale manufacturing. Robust Parameter Design (RPD) is often used to mitigate this problem. However, in multiple-stage manufacturing process environments, it is difficult to employ the RPD concept because experiments cannot strictly follow the principle of complete randomization. Furthermore, the stages can be located at different sites, leading to multiple sets of noise factors. In the existing literature, only a single set of noise factors is considered. Therefore, in this research, the foundation of using the RPD concept with multistage experiments is developed and discussed. Some optimal design catalogs are provided based on a modified minimum aberration criterion. The context for this work is the development of a medical device made of nanoscale composites using a multiple-stage manufacturing process.