Intelligent Process Flow Language Editor

摘要

A process flow language allows a user to specify the process used to fabricate integrated circuits on a silicon water. By using a flow language, a designer can modify his process more easily and processing equipment can be reconfigured for use with different processes. While the benefits gained from using a process flow language have been discussed frequently, one major drawback of using a flow language has been overlooked: users must code their process flows in the flow language. This may not seem like a disadvantage, but it is rather difficult to convince people to so something they have never done before. Furthermore, the process must be in a language that faintly resembles Lisp, not a very appealing thought for users whose primary interest is in processing wafers, not programming computers. Thus there is a severe need for some tool to facilitate the coding of processes flows in the process flow language. Various types of programming aids have been used in the past to facilitate software development: syntax checkers, semantic checkers, preprocessors, and intelligent editors. The process flow editor combines attributes from all of these. The primary difference between the process flow editor presents the flow to the user in a format that is very different from the format seen by applications accessing the flow. (KR)