the StandardFall 2008
EDAConnect - A Powerful Library for Creating EDA Client-Side Applications
by Brian Rubow, Product Manager, Cimetrix, Inc.
Many believe that creating a client-side library will be an easy task since Equipment Data Acquisition (EDA), also know as Interface A, uses modern technologies such as XML and SOAP. However, difficulties arise in dealing with performance, version independence, and supporting tools. Cimetrix’s newest solution, EDAConnect™ assists integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and third party software providers in avoiding these potential pitfalls and creating applications that can utilize the rich data available via these new standards.
EDAConnect allows IDMs to upgrade existing fab software systems or create new systems to make use of the EDA data. Third party software providers can also use EDAConnect to upgrade their software to be EDA enabled. As the adoption of EDA continues to progress, it will become critical to the manufacturing process. IDMs and equipment suppliers alike can use EDAConnect to generate testing software to ensure standard compliance and EDA software reliability.
Each time the EDA standards are revised and a new ISMI "EDA Freeze Version" is announced, both IDMs and third party software suppliers will be forced to support multiple, concurrent versions as each equipment supplier adopts at its own rate. A key feature of the new EDAConnect is an abstraction layer that allows SEMI® standard version independence, enabling the client the ability to use the same versions of the SEMI EDA standards with minimal investment in software development. This abstraction layer creates a migration path as the EDA standards are upgraded as well as allows for mixed standards versions within the same fab.
Additional features include simplified data collection setup and data reception, equipment model management and built-in message logging. Providing high performance and ease of use, EDAConnect is designed using Microsoft .NET 2.0 and 3.0 technologies, leveraging .NET’s delegate technology to allow applications to trivially register for data collection reports and other notifications. EDAConnect is highly optimized to minimize the network bandwidth requirements when exchanging messages with the equipment and CPU usage when serializing the EDA data. Querying EDA equipment model information can involve extremely large SOAP/XML messages. EDAConnect allows the equipment models to be cached with version information and examined off-line to minimize the need to disrupt the networks.
Several years ago, Cimetrix made a firm commitment and large investment on the equipment side of EDA with our award-winning CIMPortal™ solution. EDAConnect completes the other side of the EDA wire. Through our experience with CIMPortal and our joint ECCE project with ISMI, we have been able to create a lean, high-performance solution that addresses the needs of IDMs and third party software suppliers. By concentrating on these areas, our EDAConnect solution offers the most effective cost-of-ownership equation on the market.
EDAConnect Architecture
Related Links
- EDAConnect
- Press Release Regarding Introduction of EDAConnect
- Microsoft's support for the Interface A standards
- More info on ECCE project with ISMI
