The Intertool Profile Interchange Format

Abstract

A formal object-oriented approach to the data structuring and data management of semiconductor wafer structure and device information is presented. The profile in- terchange format (PIF) is extended beyond a file format "in- tersite" version in order to enhance the storage and access of profile information, the communication of profile information between cooperating tools, and the integration and portability of technology CAD tools. An intertool PIF toolkit is a program- matic interface to profile information, consisting of a library of objects for the storage and manipulation of data by technology CAD (TCAD) tools. PIF/Gestalt is presented as a test imple- mentation of the toolkit which provides C and Common Lisp language interfaces, implemented on a data base for use in a CADKIM system for semiconductor process design and fab- rication. Test applications using PIF/Gestalt demonstrate the desirability of the formal object model, the appropriateness of an object-oriented interface, and implementation of that model on an object-oriented data base.