The Device Builder Module

The input to the compilation core is generated by the device builder (see following figure). The integral part of this module is a graphical device cross-section editor. The device is schematically drawn on a two-dimensional canvas as a collection of polygons, each of which corresponds to a device component. The device components are entered through an specification of the layer material, thickness, and extent on the screen using the mouse. The graphical device editor window is shown in the following figure.

In addition to regular graphical editing commands, the device editor has special drawing routines for the calculation of conformal outlines on top of the current top profile of the device. This module also provides customized procedures for drawing reactively-grown layers and diffusions (both self-aligned and non self-aligned) with respect to the topography of the device.

Invoking the DeviceBuilder

Description of the Interface

Menu area

The Device Builder menu functions have the following structure:

• Device
  • New -- Clear the canvas for drawing a new device
  • Open -- Open an existing device for editing
  • Save -- Save the current device
  • Save as -- Save the current device in a new file
  • Print -- Open the print dialog for printing to either a file or a printer
  • Quit -- Quit the DeviceBuilder
• Select
  • Select
    • Clicked -- Turn to select on click mode
    • Numbered -- Select a component whose number is typed on a pop-up text dialog
    • Region -- Select all components in a region specified by a rubber-band rectangle
    • All -- Select all components
  • Unselect
    • Clicked -- Turn to unselect on click mode
    • Numbered -- Unselect a component whose number is typed on a pop-up text dialog
    • Region -- Unselect all components in a region defined by a rubber-band rectangle
    • All -- Unselect all components
• Edit
  • Delete
    • Selected -- Delete all selected components
    • Clicked -- Turn to delete on click mode
    • Region -- Delete all components in a region defined by a rubber-band rectangle
    • Numbered -- Delete a component whose number is typed on a pop-up text dialog
  • Modify
    • Clicked -- Open a window that shows and allows changing the properties of the clicked component
    • Numbered -- Open a window that shows and allows changing the properties of the component whose number has been typed on a pop-up text dialog
  • Stretch
    • Left end -- Stretche the left end of the selected component to the clicked point
    • Right end -- Stretch the right end of the selected component to the clicked point
  • Undo -- Undo the last change
  • Cut -- Cut a portion of all selected components marked by a rubber-band rectangle
• Report
  • Selected -- List properties of all selected components
  • All -- List properties of all components
• Setup
  • Grid -- Open a dialog for changing the current grid and its snapping property
  • Screen -- Set the size of the screen
• Zoom
  • Zoom in -- Zoom in if not zoom-in limit reached
  • Zoom out -- Zoom out if not zoom-out limit reached

Panel area

The panel area is a command interface implemented with an array of push buttons. Most of the menu functions of the Device Builder can also be carried out by using these push buttons. For descriptions of panel area push buttons, please refer to the previous item. The panel area has a type selector that is not present in the menu functions. It is implemented with push buttons and located at the top of the panel. These push buttons allows selection of type of layer to be drawn. For example, the user has to press 'Depositon' push button to draw one or more deposition type layers.

Canvas

The canvas area is actually a drawing area widget capable of displaying and drawing device components by drawing commands. By default, the canvas has a width of 1800 microns and height of 600 microns. The top-left corner of the canvas is taken as position (0,0). The size of the canvas can be changed by Setup-->Screen menu function.

Cursor position label

The cursor position label shows the current position of the cursor on the canvas. But the position label changes to a differential mode during drawing components. In this differential mode the label shows the difference of X and Y positions of the pointer from the starting point (point where the rubber-band was started by clicking and holding the left mouse button). To distinguish the differential position from absolute position, the differential position is shown within parentheses.

Device name label

The device name label shows the name of the current device. If no name has yet been given to the device under construction, it shows 'default'.

Material legend area

This legend area shows the names of different materials that have been used in drawing the current device and the corresponding colors.

Atom list

The atom list at the lower-left corner of the Device Builder interface shows up whenever the user presses any one of the type selector push buttons at the top of the panel area. At a given time this list shows all atoms of the database of the currently selected type.

Parameter specification area

Like the atom list, an array of parameter specification widget array shows up whenever the user press any one of the type selector push buttons. It shows all parameter values that can be changed. If no new value is specified for a parameter, the displayed default value is used in drawing the next component.

Drawing Procedure

Storing and Retrieving Device Files

Modifying Component Parameters

Viewing Component Properties

Summary

Back to the Manual Index