The intertool profile interchange format: a technology CAD environment approach (semiconductor technology)

The binary profile interchange format (BPIF) defines a set of objects and a library of functions which describe an intertool version of the PIF, a representation for semiconductor wafer information. The BPIF toolkit function library enables technology computer-aided design (TCAD) tools, such as process and device simulators, to access PIF data through a common interface, thus facilitating tool integration and encouraging utility sharing. This approach defines a toolkit that is easy to use, and which meets the tool integration and performance needs within a TCAD environment. An experimental BPIF toolkit, based on the C language and the OCT data manager is described in detail. Examples are shown of how TCAD tools may use the toolkit to 'randomly' access wafer data, such as grids and geometries, within a graph of PIF objects. A BPIF package supporting the use of the intertool PIF within the PROSE TCAD environment, which includes a link to the PIF intersite file format, is then presented.<
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