JP2000215178A - Simulation device and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform the simulation by a simple operation and without giving any load on a line and a server. SOLUTION: This simulation device/method includes a Web server 1 which is connected to a client terminal 2 via a public line N and stores a simulation request program, the terminal 2 which is connected to the server 1 via the line N to download the simulation request program from the server 1 and also gives a simulation application request to the server 1 via the line N based on the simulation request program and a calculation server 3 which is connected to the server 1 via a local area network LAN and calculates the simulation based on the simulation application request that is sent to the server 1 from the terminal 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a simulation apparatus and a simulation method for instructing a simulation calculation from a remote location via a public line or a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When simulating the impurity distribution and electric characteristics of a semiconductor device, a large amount of calculation processing is required. Therefore, a large-scale computer is required to perform the simulation in a realistic calculation time. Become. On the other hand, control of the computer for simulation and display of the simulation result can be sufficiently processed by a general computer such as a personal computer.

As a method of inputting a simulation and displaying a result by a personal computer, a virtual terminal on a computer for performing a simulation calculation is operated on the personal computer, and a command is activated from a keyboard to perform a simulation. .

As another method, there is a method of emulating a window system on a calculation server by a personal computer.

[0005]

However, since a method of operating a virtual terminal on a computer for performing a simulation calculation on a personal computer is controlled by a command line, the user needs to be familiar with the simulation system. Yes, those who can use it are limited.

In the method of emulating a window system on a calculation server with a personal computer, communication is performed for exchanging drawing information of the window system. Without it, it is difficult to obtain satisfactory performance.

Furthermore, since most processing except drawing processing on the display is performed by the calculation server, the processing load on the calculation server increases as the number of terminal devices increases, which causes problems such as delay in calculation time and server downtime. Will be generated.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a simulation apparatus and a simulation method for solving such a problem. That is, the simulation device of the present invention is connected via a public line and is connected to a program server storing a simulation request program, and is connected via a public line and downloads the simulation request program from the program server. A client terminal that issues a simulation input request to the program server via a public line; and a calculation server that is connected to the program server via a network and performs a simulation calculation based on the simulation input request sent from the client terminal to the program server. Is what it is.

In the present invention, a simulation request program is downloaded from a program server to a client terminal via a public line, and a simulation input request is issued to the program server using the simulation request program. Further, a simulation server based on the simulation input request is performed by a calculation server connected to the program server via a network. For this reason, the client terminal only needs to handle a simulation request program that issues a simulation input request to the program server, and can perform a simulation calculation by a simple operation using a public line.

[0010] A distribution server connected via a network for distributing an electronic document and a downloadable program and controlling simulation calculation is connected to the distribution server via the network for downloading the program from the distribution server. A terminal device that issues a simulation calculation request to the distribution server using the program, and a calculation server that is connected via a network, performs the simulation calculation under the control of the distribution server, and notifies the terminal device of the end of the calculation. Simulation device.

In the present invention, a program is downloaded from a distribution server to a terminal device via a network, and a simulation calculation request is sent to the distribution server using the program. Further, the distribution server controls the calculation server based on the simulation calculation request and performs the simulation calculation. This allows the calculation server to perform only the simulation calculation under the control of the distribution server, and can reduce the load on the calculation processing.

The present invention also provides a system in which a main computer and a remote computer are connected via a network. The main computer includes a calculation module for executing a simulation calculation and a request for a simulation executed by the remote computer. A program management module that manages the program of the above, and a user data management module that manages the result of the simulation calculation executed by the calculation module. And a communication control module that receives the result of the simulation calculation from the user management module of the main computer. Is also the Interview configuration devices.

In the present invention, the program for the simulation request is executed by the program execution module of the remote computer, so that the calculation module of the main computer performs the simulation calculation according to the request, and the calculation result is obtained. Since the management is performed by the user data management module, the remote computer can receive the result of the simulation calculation from the user data management module only when necessary, so that the load on the network and the load on the calculation module can be reduced.

Further, the simulation method of the present invention
Upon requesting a simulation calculation from a client terminal, a step of downloading a simulation request program from a program server via a public line in advance, and a step of making a simulation input request to the program server via the public line by the downloaded simulation request program, Instructing the calculation server to start the simulation calculation from the program server via the network based on the simulation input request.

In the present invention, the simulation request program is downloaded from the program server to the client terminal via the public line in advance, and the client terminal uses the downloaded simulation request program to execute the program via the public line. The server is making a simulation request. This allows the client terminal to request a simulation calculation via a public line with a simple operation using only the simulation request program.

When requesting a simulation calculation from a terminal device, a step of downloading a predetermined program from a distribution server via a network in advance;
The simulation method includes a step of performing a simulation calculation request to the distribution server via the network by the downloaded program, and a step of instructing the calculation server to start the simulation calculation from the distribution server via the network based on the simulation calculation request. .

In the present invention, a predetermined program is previously downloaded from the distribution server to the terminal device via the network, and the terminal device makes a simulation calculation request using the program. Thus, the terminal device can request the simulation calculation by a simple operation using only the program. Further, the calculation server only needs to perform the simulation calculation under the control of the distribution server, so that the load on the calculation process can be reduced.

In a system in which a main computer and a remote computer are connected via a network, a step of downloading a program for a simulation request from the main computer to the remote computer, executing the program on the remote computer, A step of requesting a simulation calculation, a step of performing a simulation calculation after the request of the simulation calculation by executing the program is received by the main computer, and a step of storing the result of the simulation calculation in the main computer. Reading the result of the simulation calculation stored in the main computer.

According to the present invention, a program to be executed by the remote computer is previously downloaded from the main computer, and a request for a simulation calculation is made to the main computer by executing the program on the remote computer. . Further, the main computer starts the simulation calculation in response to the simulation request, and stores the calculation result in the main computer. Thus, the remote computer can request the simulation calculation by a simple operation using only the program. In addition, the main computer temporarily stores the calculation results and transmits the results in response to a request from the remote computer. It can be reduced.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a simulation apparatus and a simulation method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a simulation device according to the first embodiment. That is, the simulation apparatus is connected to a Web connected via a local area network LAN and a public line N.
It comprises a server 1, a client terminal 2 connected to the Web server 1 via the public line N, and a calculation server 3 and a file server 4 connected to the Web server 1 via the local area network LAN.

The Web server 1 is a program server and stores a simulation request program.
This simulation request program is, for example, Java
a applet, which can be executed independently of the platform (OS: operating system) of the client terminal 2.

Further, the Web server 1 uses an HTML (Hype
rtext Markup Language) file, and transmits an HTML file in response to a request from the client terminal 2.

The client terminal 2 comprises a personal computer, and downloads a simulation request program and an HTML file from the Web server 1 via the public line N. When a simulation is performed, a simulation input request and a result data request are made using the downloaded simulation request program.

The calculation server 3 is a computer that actually performs the simulation calculation, and sends an e-mail notifying the end of the calculation to the client terminal 2 when the simulation calculation is completed.

The file server 4 is an apparatus for storing input data and simulation result data required for performing a simulation calculation in the calculation server 3.

FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of the client terminal 2. That is, the client terminal 2 includes a data input unit 21, a control unit 22, a data display unit 23, and a data communication unit 24. The data input unit 21 mainly includes a keyboard and a mouse, and inputs and edits data necessary for the simulation.

The control section 22 controls each section. The data display unit 23 mainly includes a display, and displays a result of the simulation as a graph or a diagram. The data communication unit 24 performs data communication with the Web server 1 (see FIG. 1) via the public line N.

FIG. 3 is an internal configuration diagram of the Web server. The Web server 1 includes a control unit 11, a data communication unit 1,
2. It is composed of a storage device controller 13 and a storage device 14. The control unit 11 controls each unit. Data communication unit 1
2 inputs and outputs data via a local area network LAN.

The storage controller 13 controls input and output of data stored in the storage 14. The storage device 14 includes, for example, a hard disk and stores a simulation request program and an HTML file.

FIG. 4 shows a client terminal and We
It is a software block diagram of server b. The client terminal 2 includes a Web browser 201, a client program 202, and an intermediate code execution unit 203.
The web browser 201 uses HTTP (Hyper Text Tra
nsfer Protocol) to the Web server 1 based on H
Make a request for a TML file and a Java applet.

The Web browser 201 has a function of receiving an e-mail, and the calculation server 3 (see FIG. 1).
It is possible to receive an e-mail that notifies the end of the calculation sent from. Client program 202
Is a Java applet downloaded from the Web server 1, and performs input / output processing for a user and communication processing with the Web server 1. In the present embodiment, the client program 202 corresponds to a simulation request program.

The client program 202 is Java
Since it is an applet, it is composed of intermediate code and cannot be executed independently. So, Java
An environment for executing an applet includes an intermediate code execution unit 203.

On the other hand, in the Web server 1, an HTTP server 101 and a control program 102 operate. HT
The TP server 101 transmits an HTML file and a Java applet in response to a request from the Web browser 201 on the client terminal 2 based on HTTP. Further, the control program 102 performs user authentication, input data device, simulation input, and result data transmission in response to a request from the client program 202.

According to the simulation apparatus having such a configuration, the Web browser 201 is started on the client terminal 2, the HTTP server 101 of the Web server 1 is accessed via the public line N, and a predetermined homepage is opened. Download the client program (Java applet) that is the request program.

This client program (simulation request program) only inputs and edits data necessary for the simulation and displays the calculation results, so that data transfer can be performed at a sufficient speed even with the public line N. it can. Further, the user merely performs simple operations such as inputting, editing, and inputting data by using the client program, and can handle the data without being familiar with the simulation system.

In the case of performing a simulation, a Web is transmitted from the client terminal 2 using a client program.
b The simulation is input to the server 1. This is We
b The server 1 receives the request and causes the calculation server 3 to execute the calculation.

Next, a simulation method according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a sequence chart illustrating a schematic operation of the simulation method according to the present embodiment. In the following description, reference numerals not shown in FIG. 5 refer to FIGS.

First, when the web browser 201 is started on the client terminal 2, the web browser 201
The HTML file is requested from the HTTP server 101 of the web server 1 (1), and the H obtained from the HTTP server 101 is obtained.
The data is displayed on the data display unit 23 based on the TML file (2).

When the user instructs the activation of the Java applet from this display, the Web browser 201
Client program 20 for TP server 101
2 (Java applet) is requested (3). Web
The server 1 reads the client program from the storage device 14 in response to this request, and transfers it to the client terminal 2 via the public line N (4).

When the Web browser 201 completes the download of the client program 202, it loads it on the intermediate code execution unit 203 and starts the client program 202.

As described above, the client program 20
By downloading 2, the latest client program 202 is transferred even if the client program 202 is modified. That is,
If the latest client program 202 is stored only on the Web server 1, the latest client program 202 can be provided in response to a request from the client terminal 2.

Subsequently, input data is created. When the user instructs the client terminal 2 to input data, the client program 202 issues a request command for input data to the control program 102 of the Web server 1. This results in a simulation input request (5).

When a request for input data is received by the control program 102, the input data serving as calculation data for simulation is stored in the file server 4 (6), and a request for simulation calculation is made to the calculation server 3 (7).

Upon receiving the request for the simulation calculation, the calculation server 3 sends the input result (information indicating that the input has been performed) to W
It is sent to the eb server 1 (8). This input result is transferred from the Web server 1 to the client terminal 2 (9). In addition, the client terminal 2 may disconnect the network connection by the public line N at the stage when receiving the input result. Thereby, the load on the network can be reduced during the simulation calculation.

Then, the calculation server 3 acquires the previously stored input data from the file server 4 (1).
0), the input data is checked and a simulation is executed.

When the simulation calculation is completed in the calculation server 3, the calculation server 3 sends the calculation result to the file server 4.
(11). As described above, since the calculation result is stored in the file server 4, the calculation result can be obtained without being affected by the physical position of the client terminal 2. Then, the calculation server 3 sends an e-mail of a calculation end notification to the client terminal 2 (12).

The user of the client terminal 2 receives this e-mail and thereby knows that the calculation server 3 has completed the simulation calculation. Thereafter, a result data request is made to the Web data 1 when convenient (13). Upon receiving this request, the control program 102 of the Web server 1 sends a calculation data acquisition request to the file server 4 (14), and acquires the calculation data.

Here, since the data amount of the result data of the simulation is often large in general, the Web
The server 1 extracts necessary data from the acquired calculation data to reduce the data amount (15). Then, the extracted result data is transmitted to the client terminal 2 via the public line N (16). As a result, the simulation result is displayed in a diagram or a table on the data display unit 23 of the client terminal 2.

According to such a flow, the client terminal 2 can cause the calculation server 3 to perform a complicated simulation calculation only by performing communication with the Web server 1 with a small amount of data via the public line N. it can. Also,
Since the Web server 1 extracts the result data, the simulation calculation result can be transferred to the client terminal 2 via the public line N in a short time.

Next, the control program 1 of the Web server 1
Operation 02 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the following description, reference numerals not shown in FIG.
Shall be referred to.

First, the control program 102 waits for a connection request from the client program 202 (step S101). Next, when there is a connection request from the client program 202, the connection is established and a processing request (command data) is received from the client program 202 (step S102).

Next, the control program 102 performs user authentication (step S103), and determines whether or not the user is registered in the system (step S10).
4). Here, if the user is not registered in the system, an error code is returned (step S108).
On the other hand, if the user is registered in the system, the processing is executed based on the data of the processing request (step S
105).

Then, the processing result is checked. If the processing is completed normally (step S106), the result data is transmitted as needed (step S107). on the other hand,
If the processing has not been completed normally, an error code is returned (step S108). Thereafter, the connection is released (step S109).

As described above, since the control program 102 operates only when requested by the client program 202, the load on the network can be minimized.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a simulation device according to a second embodiment. That is, the simulation device includes a Web server 1 connected via a local area network LAN, and a terminal device 2 connected to the Web server 1 via a local area network LAN.
0, Web server 1 and local area network L
It comprises a calculation server 3 and a file server 4 connected via an AN.

That is, while the simulation device of the first embodiment is connected to the client terminal 2 via the public line N (see FIG. 1), the simulation device of the second embodiment has It differs in that it is connected to a local area network LAN.

The Web server 1 is a distribution server that distributes a predetermined program (simulation request program). The simulation request program is made of, for example, a Java applet, and can be executed without depending on the platform (OS: operating system) of the terminal device 20.

Further, the Web server 1 uses an HTML (Hype
rtext Markup Language) file, and transmits an HTML file in response to a request from the terminal device 20.

The terminal device 20 is composed of a workstation or a personal computer, and downloads a simulation request program and an HTML file from the Web server 1 via the local area network LAN. When a simulation is performed, a simulation input request and a result data request are made using the downloaded simulation request program.

The calculation server 3 is a computer that actually performs the simulation calculation, and sends an electronic mail notifying the end of the calculation to the terminal device 20 when the simulation calculation is completed.

The file server 4 is a device for storing input data and data of a simulation result required for performing a simulation calculation in the calculation server 3.

FIG. 8 is an internal configuration diagram of the terminal device 20. That is, the terminal device 20 includes the data input unit 21, the control unit 22, the data display unit 23, and the data communication unit 24. The data input unit 21 mainly includes a keyboard and a mouse, and inputs and edits data necessary for the simulation.

The control section 22 controls each section. The data display unit 23 mainly includes a display, and displays a result of the simulation as a graph or a diagram. The data communication unit 24 performs data communication with the Web server 1 (see FIG. 1) via the local area network LAN.

The internal configuration of the Web server 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.
Since the software configuration of the eb server 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, detailed description is omitted.

According to the simulation apparatus having such a configuration, the terminal device 20 uses the Web browser 201
(See FIG. 4) and start the local area network L
HTTP server 101 of Web server 1 via AN
(See FIG. 4), open a predetermined homepage, and download a client program (Java applet) that is a simulation request program.

The client program (simulation request program) inputs and edits data necessary for the simulation and displays the calculation result, so that the calculation server 3 is not subjected to any load other than the simulation calculation. Further, the user merely performs simple operations such as inputting, editing, and inputting data by using the client program, and can handle the data without being familiar with the simulation system.

When performing a simulation, a simulation is input from the terminal device 20 to the Web server 1 using a client program. This is received by the Web server 1 and the calculation server 3 executes the calculation.

Next, a simulation method according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a sequence chart illustrating a schematic operation of the simulation method according to the present embodiment. In the following description, reference numerals not shown in FIG. 9 refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 and FIGS. 7 and 8 as appropriate.

First, the Web browser 2
01, the Web browser 201 requests an HTML file from the HTTP server 101 of the Web server 1 (1), and obtains the HTML file obtained from the HTTP server 101.
The data is displayed on the data display unit 23 based on the file (2).

When the user instructs the activation of the Java applet from this display, the Web browser 201
Client program 20 for TP server 101
2 (Java applet) is requested (3). Web
The server 1 reads the client program from the storage device 14 in response to the request and transfers it to the terminal device 20 via the local area network LAN (4).

When the Web browser 201 completes the download of the client program 202, it loads it on the intermediate code execution unit 203 and starts the client program 202.

As described above, the client program 20
By downloading 2, the latest client program 202 is transferred even if the client program 202 is modified. That is,
If the latest client program 202 is stored only on the Web server 1, the latest client program 202 can be provided in response to a request from the terminal device 20.

Subsequently, input data is created. When the user instructs the terminal device 20 to input data, the client program 202 issues a request command for input data to the control program 102 of the Web server 1. This results in a simulation input request (5).

When the control program 102 receives a request for input data, it stores the input data to be the calculation data for the simulation in the file server 4 (6) and requests the calculation server 3 for the simulation calculation (7).

The calculation server 3 having received the request for the simulation calculation sends an input acquisition request to the file server 4 (8), and after acquiring the input data sent from the file server 4 (9), inputs the data to the Web server 1. The reception result is returned (10). The Web server 1 transmits the input acceptance result sent from the calculation server 3 to the terminal device 20 (11). W
While the eb server 1 is sending the input acceptance result to the terminal device 20, the calculation server 3 performs a simulation calculation. As described above, since the communication with the terminal device 20 is performed by the Web server 1, the calculation server 3 can perform only the simulation calculation, and the burden can be reduced.

When the simulation calculation is completed in the calculation server 3, the calculation server 3 sends the calculation result to the file server 4.
(12). After that, the calculation server 3 sends an e-mail of a calculation end notification to the terminal device 20 (13). As described above, since all data is stored in the file server 4, even if the user uses another terminal device, all the data of the user can be accessed.

The user of the terminal device 20 knows that the calculation server 3 has completed the simulation calculation by receiving the e-mail. Thereafter, a result data request is made to Web data 1 at a convenient time (1
4). Upon receiving this request, the control program 102 of the Web server 1 issues a calculation data acquisition request to the file server 4 (15), and acquires the calculation data.

Here, since the data amount of the simulation result data is often large in general, the Web
The server 1 extracts necessary data from the acquired calculation data to reduce the data amount. Then, the extracted result data is transmitted to the terminal device 20 via the local area network LAN (17). As a result, the simulation result is displayed in a diagram or a table on the data display unit 23 of the terminal device 20.

According to such a flow, the calculation server 3
The simulation calculation can be performed while minimizing communication with the terminal device 20, and the processing load can be reduced.

Next, input of process condition data when a simulation request program is used will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a process condition input / edit screen displayed on the display when the simulation request program is started.

When the simulation request program is started, a screen as shown in FIG. 10 appears on the display. FIG. 10 shows an example of a screen display for inputting and editing process conditions for performing a process simulation. Layer L1 on the left side of the screen is a process condition display column, and layer L2 on the right side is a data input column.

In the process condition display column of the layer L1, one process is displayed in one line. When entering data,
When "add" is selected on the menu bar MB, a menu of steps that can be added (for example, ion implantation and diffusion) is displayed.

When a process to be added is selected from this menu, inputtable items of the process are displayed in the data input column of the layer L2. After inputting desired data in the data input field, if the user designates the data using the mouse of the “Apply” button, the input data is reflected in the process condition display field of the layer L1.

When editing data, a process to be changed is selected from the process condition display column of the layer L1. As a result, the row of the selected process is highlighted, and the inputtable items corresponding to the process are displayed in the data input column of the layer L2.

After inputting the changed data in the data input field, the user designates the data by using the mouse of the "apply" button.
As a result, the input changed data is reflected in the process condition display column of the layer L1.

When data is to be deleted, a process to be deleted is selected from the process condition display column of layer 1. Thereafter, when "delete" (not shown) is designated from "edit" on the menu bar MB, the step is deleted and reflected in the process condition display column.

Next, a description will be given of how to input a simulation based on the input and edited data. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a screen display for inputting a simulation. When performing simulation input, the user inputs the number of calculations to be input in the “input number” on this screen, and inputs the type of the simulator in the “simulator”. In addition, "
In the “conversion”, it is specified whether the actual input is performed (input) or only the process of converting the data input in the process condition input image into the input data unique to the simulation is performed (conversion).

Furthermore, the simulation calculation or data conversion is executed by designating the range of the simulation calculation by “calculation range” and designating “execution” by a mouse or the like.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display for displaying the result of the simulation calculation. In this example, typical transistor characteristics (threshold voltage, saturation current, S value) are obtained from process and device simulation results.
Is extracted and displayed. Among these, the leftmost column is information on the variation condition. In this example, the GATE length is 1.
It is shaking to 2,2.5,3.0,5.0,6.0. The threshold voltage corresponding to the GATE length is indicated by Vth, the saturation current is indicated by Ids, and the S value is indicated by Swing.

In such a screen display, only the necessary data is received by the terminal device 20 from the Web server 1, and the window information and the calculation information in the form of a table are performed by the program on the terminal device 20 side. As a result, only necessary data is transmitted to the local area network LAN, and the network load can be reduced.

Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram illustrating a simulation device according to a third embodiment. The simulation device of the third embodiment is roughly divided into a main computer M and a remote computer R in order to request a simulation from a remote personal computer. Generally, a plurality of remote computers R are connected to one main computer M.

The main computer M has a communication control module 31 for controlling communication with the remote computer R.
And a calculation module 32 for performing a simulation calculation
A user management module 33 for managing only the registered user U to access the program, a program management module 34 for managing a program to be executed on the remote computer R, and user data for managing a simulation result requested by the user U. And a management module 35.

The remote computer R comprises a communication control module 36 for controlling communication with the main computer M and a program execution module 37 for executing a program obtained from the main computer M.

Next, the flow from the start of the simulation work of the user U to the execution of the simulation calculation and the flow of the simulation result confirmation work of the user U using the simulation apparatus are shown in FIG.
Will be described along the flowchart of FIG. In the following description, reference numerals that are not shown in FIG.
Shall be referred to.

First, as shown in step S201, the simulation environment program is transferred from the main computer M to the remote computer R in both the case of performing the simulation calculation and the case of confirming the result.
The main computer M transfers the simulation environment program managed by the program management module 34 through the communication control module 31. On the other hand, the remote computer R receives the simulation environment program transferred from the main computer M through the communication control module 36, and executes it by the program execution module 37.

As described above, by transferring the simulation environment program from the main computer M to the remote computer R every time a simulation calculation or the like is performed, a program having the latest contents and the same contents can be received from anywhere.

Next, in step S202, it is determined whether or not the user U has selected to create and calculate data. If data creation and calculation have been selected, the process proceeds to step S203, where simulation data is created on the remote computer R. Next, in step S204, the simulation data is passed to the main computer M to make a calculation request.

At this time, not only the data for simulation but also the user name and password are passed to the main computer M. The main computer M checks whether the user is a registered user in the user management module 33, and if the user is a registered user, performs a simulation calculation in the calculation module 32. The result of the simulation calculation is managed by the user data management module 35 in a state where the user name and the data name are linked.

If it is determined in step S202 that data creation and calculation have not been selected, step S205
Then, determine whether to confirm the result. When the user U performs the result confirmation work, the process proceeds to step S206, and requests the main computer M for a list of data. At this time,
Pass the username and password to the main computer M,
It is checked whether the user is registered by the user management module 34 of the main computer M. If the user is a registered user, the user data management module 35 returns a list of data names associated with the user name to the remote computer R.

The user U selects a required data name from a list of data names. In step S207, the selected data name is passed to the main computer M, and the data corresponding to the data name is transferred from the user data management module 35 of the main computer M to the remote computer R.

The remote computer R receives the data transferred from the main computer M and performs processing such as displaying the data using a viewer. Step S201
Therefore, once the program is called to the remote computer R, the simulation calculation / result check can be performed many times.

Next, a specific example of a wiring capacitance simulation using the simulation apparatus of this embodiment will be described. Wiring capacity simulation is performed using mask data (GDS-
II format), and begins with the work of extracting spice parameters (capacity and netlist).

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a menu displayed on the display of the remote computer, and FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining a specific example of the simulation procedure. The GDS-II format is a well-known format for describing masks and the like. Spice parameters are a set of basic parameters for performing circuit simulation, and include transistor characteristics,
It consists of wiring capacity, netlist information, etc.
7). Here, only the extraction of the capacity and the netlist information will be described.

“SENECA / JAVA” displayed at the top of the menu shown in FIG. 15 is a system name (SENECA) and a label indicating that the program is written in JAVA. The menu in FIG. 15 is displayed by calling and executing a program written in JAVA from a WWW (World Wide Web) browser (step S301 in FIG. 16). A general WWW browser has a function of executing a program written in JAVA.

Next, when creating / calculating the input data (Yes in step S302), the menu field F1 and the button B1 shown in FIG. 15 are used, and when extracting the parameters (Yes in step S303).
s) The button B2 of the menu shown in FIG. 15 is designated with a mouse or the like.

Field F1 of the menu shown in FIG. 15 is a list for selecting a process (generation). By selecting this field F1, the thickness of each layer of the generated data is determined (step S304). The button B1 selects “Conv Only” only when converting GDS-II data into simulation data, and selects “Conv + Calc” when performing simulation after conversion (step S3).
05).

When only the change to the simulation data is selected (No in step S305), the mask data and the process information are passed to the main computer M, and a data generation request is made (step S306). Simulation data is generated for each node (step S307), and a process of returning the netlist and the generated input data to the remote computer R is performed (step S308).

On the other hand, when performing the conversion and the calculation (Yes in step S305), the mask data and the process information are passed to the main computer M to request a simulation calculation (step S309). (Step S310), and returns the net list to the remote computer R (step S311).
(Simulator) (Step S31)
2).

After the calculation is performed by the simulator, the calculation result is stored in the user data management module 35. In general, the simulation calculation may take a long time, and the capacity of the result data may be large. Therefore, the calculation result is not returned to the remote computer R, but is stored in the user data management module 35.

Here, even when the simulation calculation is not performed, the main computer M generates the netlist information simultaneously with the generation of the input data to the simulator (step S307). This is because it is conceivable to check or edit the input data.

When the button B2 shown in the menu of FIG. 15 is selected, processing for extracting spice parameters and adding spice parameters to the net list is performed (Yes in step S303). When this button B2 is designated, a list of calculated data on the main computer M appears. Therefore, the processing in steps S313 to S316, that is, the capacity is extracted from the calculated data and added to the netlist on the remote computer R side Repeat as many times as necessary.

With the above processing, using the simulation data created by the remote computer R,
By controlling the calculation module 32 (simulator) of the main computer M, necessary calculation results and the like can be referred to by the remote computer R.

[0113]

As described above, according to the simulation apparatus and the simulation method of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. That is, a simulation request program is downloaded from a program server to a client terminal via a public line, and a simulation input request is made to the program server using the simulation request program, so that the simulation can be executed by a simple operation from the client terminal. become. Further, since a simulation input request is made using the simulation request program, it is possible to request a simulation and transfer data even on a relatively low-speed public line. This makes it possible to provide a simulation environment widely without depending on the physical location.

Further, the simulation can be performed without depending on the physical position of the terminal, and the simulation can be performed without increasing the load on the server even if the number of terminal devices is increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a simulation device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an internal configuration diagram of a client terminal.

FIG. 3 is an internal configuration diagram of a Web server.

FIG. 4 is a software configuration diagram of a client terminal and a Web server.

FIG. 5 is a sequence chart illustrating a schematic operation of the simulation method of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a control program of the Web server.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram illustrating a simulation device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an internal configuration diagram of a terminal device.

FIG. 9 is a sequence chart illustrating a schematic operation of the simulation method according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a process condition input / edit screen.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a screen display for inputting a simulation.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display for displaying a result of a simulation calculation.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram illustrating a simulation device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a simulation flow according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a menu displayed on a display.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of a simulation procedure.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a spice parameter.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Web server, 2 ... client terminal, 3 ... calculation server, 4 ... file server, 20 ... terminal device, 32 ... calculation module, 34 ... program management module, 35
... User data management module, 101 ... HTTP server, 102 ... Control program, 201 ... Web browser, 202 ... Client program, LAN ... Local area network, M ... Main computer, N ...
Public line, R ... Remote computer

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A program server connected via a public line and storing a simulation request program, and a program server connected via the public line and downloading the simulation request program from the program server, A client terminal for making a simulation input request to the program server via the public line; and a simulation connection based on the simulation input request sent from the client terminal to the program server, connected to the program server via a network. A simulation device comprising a calculation server. 2. The simulation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the simulation calculation is completed, the calculation server sends an e-mail to the client terminal via the public line to the effect that the calculation has been completed. 3. The simulation device according to claim 1, wherein the program server extracts a result of the simulation calculation performed by the calculation server and transmits the result to the client terminal via the public line. 4. The simulation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a file server for storing calculation data for a simulation corresponding to a simulation input request sent from said client terminal to said program server. 5. A distribution server connected via a network for distributing an electronic document and a downloadable program and for controlling simulation calculation, and connected to the network for downloading a program from the distribution server. A terminal device that sends a simulation calculation request to the distribution server using the program, is connected via the network, performs a simulation calculation under the control of the distribution server, and notifies the terminal device of the end of the calculation. A simulation device comprising a calculation server. 6. A system in which a main computer and a remote computer are connected via a network, wherein the main computer includes a calculation module for executing a simulation calculation, and a program for executing a simulation request executed on the remote computer. And a user data management module for managing the results of simulation calculations executed by the calculation module.The remote computer stores a program for a simulation request obtained from the program management module of the main computer. A program execution module to be executed; a communication control module receiving a result of a simulation calculation from a user data management module of the main computer; Simulation apparatus characterized by comprising. 7. When a simulation calculation is requested from a client terminal, a step of downloading a simulation request program from a program server via a public line in advance, and the downloaded simulation request program sends the simulation request program to the program server via the public line. A simulation method comprising: a step of issuing a simulation input request; and a step of instructing a calculation server to start a simulation calculation from the program server via a network based on the simulation input request. 8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of transmitting an e-mail to the client terminal via the public line when the simulation calculation is completed by the calculation server. Simulation method. 9. The simulation method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of extracting a result of the simulation calculation performed by the calculation server and transmitting the result to the client terminal via the public line. 10. When a simulation calculation is requested from a terminal device, a step of downloading a predetermined program from a distribution server via a network in advance, and a request for simulation calculation is sent to the distribution server via the network by the downloaded program. Performing a simulation calculation from the distribution server to the calculation server via the network based on the simulation calculation request. 11. A system in which a main computer and a remote computer are connected via a network, wherein: a step of downloading a program for a simulation request from the main computer to the remote computer; Run,
Requesting a simulation calculation, performing a simulation calculation after receiving the simulation calculation request by executing the program in the main computer, and storing the simulation calculation result in the main computer; and Reading the result of the simulation calculation stored in the main computer in response to the request.