【翻译】在不等待硬件的情况下测试CCF应用程序

你听过这样的说法: “不打破几个鸡蛋，你就做不成蛋卷。” 意思是，如果你在实现目标的过程中破坏了一些东西，你不应该感到惊讶。当涉及到构建一个新的机台时，你真的想冒险去破坏几片晶圆，或者更糟的情况伤害人员或设备，来开发你的新机台控制软件吗?我想每个人都会响亮地回答“不!”

在2016年3月关于CIMControlFramework工作分解的博客文章中，模拟被列为使用CIMControlFramework (CCF) 开发设备控制应用程序时需要考虑的11点之一。除了人员和硬件安全之外，在开发设备控制应用程序时使用模拟还有其他原因，即:

• 你想要尽早开始测试你的软件，通常是在你的机台完成之前。然后，当你的设备准备好了，把已经测试过的软件和硬件集成到一起会比较顺利，并且可以将上市前的时间最小化。

• 如果您有一个现有的机台，并且正在升级您的设备控制软件，那么在安排软件测试时间的同时仍然允许其他工程团队(机械、工艺等)完成他们的工作是具有挑战性的。

• 组成您的机台的硬件组件，例如Robot、loadlock和工艺模块，不会同时完成。您希望尽快使在真正的硬件上测试软件，同时模拟缺少的设备组件。

• 机台时间是宝贵的。在可能的情况下，能够在不使用宝贵的机台时间的情况下测试软件是很好的。

• 您的机台可能有多个配置，为每个客户有不同的配置。为了开发和测试机台控制软件而配置不同的硬件是非常耗时的。您希望能够及时地测试所有设备配置的软件。

CCF提供了一个模拟器，您可以使用它在开发期间和在实际硬件上运行软件之前测试您的机台控制软件。首先在模拟器上运行会暴露出软件中的问题，而不会损害人员、材料和硬件。CCF的模拟器模拟真实的硬件，这意味着没有必要在软件中添加条件来检查它是在模拟器还是在真实硬件上运行。

CCF的模拟器功能包括:

• 模拟大气和真空硬件元件，如LoadLock、真空泵、真空计等。

• 模拟手动和自动的使用E84握手在Load port上将Carrier放置和搬走的动作。

• 大气Robot和真空Robot的运动模拟。

• 模拟I / O。

• 模拟硬件故障，安全的测试错误处理。

• 模拟运行单个作业或循环晶圆进行耐力测试。

此外，CCF还提供了其他工具来帮助您在没有硬件的情况下测试软件。CCF提供了一个Visual Studio模板，以及一些类和接口，以帮助您为工艺模块或其他定制硬件开发模拟软件。使用Visual Studio模板开始开发用于模拟硬件的GUI用户控件。实现CCF的I/O模拟接口，生成机台控制软件的输入，并将输出写入模拟的硬件。使用CCF的模拟客户端和服务器将这两部分连接在一起处理通信问题。

通过使用这些CCF工具，您可以在不使用硬件的情况下开发和测试您的机台控制软件。当硬件可用时，您可以使用您的机台测试您的软件，并比较有信心它将按预期执行。

避免“打破一些鸡蛋”，使用CCF开发您的机台控制软件并使用CCF模拟功能测试它。

要了解更多关于CCF的信息，请访问我们网站上的CIMControlFramework页面!

 

Testing Your CCF Application without Waiting for Hardware

 

You've heard the expression, “you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.” That is, you shouldn't be surprised if you end up destroying a few things in the process of achieving your goal. When it comes to building a new piece of equipment, do you really want to risk breaking a few wafers, or worse yet, hurting personnel or equipment, to develop your new tool control software? I think everyone would answer with a resounding “No!”

In the March 2016 blog post on CIMControlFramework Work Breakdown, simulation was listed as one of the eleven points to be taken into consideration when developing an equipment control application using CIMControlFramework (CCF). In addition to personnel and hardware safety, there are other reasons to use simulation when developing equipment control applications, namely:

 You want to start testing your software as early as possible, often this is before your equipment is finished. Then when your equipment is ready, integrating your tested software with your hardware will proceed smoothly and minimize delays in your time to market.

 If you have an existing tool and you’re upgrading your tool control software, scheduling software testing time while still allowing other engineering teams (mechanical, process, etc.) to get their jobs done is challenging.

 The hardware components that comprise your tool, e.g. robots, load locks, and process modules, will not be finished at the same time. You want to test your software with real hardware as soon as possible, while still simulating the missing equipment components.

 Tool time is valuable. It's nice to be able to test your software without using the valuable tool time where possible.

 It is likely that your tool will have more than one configuration, customized for each of your clients. Setting up different hardware configurations in order to develop and test your tool control software is time consuming. You want to be able to test your software for all of your equipment configurations in timely manner.

CCF provides a simulator that you can use to test your tool control software during development, and before you run the software on the real hardware. Running against a simulator first will expose issues in your software without damaging people, material and hardware. CCF’s simulator simulates real hardware, which means it is not necessary to add conditional checks in your software to check when it is running with a simulator versus real hardware.

CCF’s simulator features include:

 Simulation of atmospheric and vacuum hardware components, e.g. load locks, vacuum pumps, vacuum gauges, etc.

 Simulating delivery and removal of carriers to load ports, both manually and automatically using E84 handshaking.

 Simulation of robot moves for both atmospheric and vacuum robots.

 Simulation of I/O.

 Simulation of hardware faults, to safely test error handling.

 Simulate running single jobs or cycling wafers for endurance testing.

Additionally, CCF provides other tools to help you test your software without hardware.  CCF provides a Visual Studio template, and a number of classes and interfaces to aid you in developing simulation software for your process module or other custom hardware. Use the Visual Studio template to start development of GUI user controls for simulated hardware. Implement CCF’s I/O simulation interfaces for generating inputs to your tool control software and writing outputs to your simulated hardware. Tie the two sides together using CCF’s simulation client and server to handle the communication.

With these CCF tools, you can develop and test your tool control software without hardware. When hardware is available, you can test your software with your tool with a high degree of confidence that it will perform as expected.

Avoid “breaking a few eggs” and develop your tool control software with CCF and test it using CCF simulation features.

To learn more about CCF, visit the CIMControlFramework page on our website!

Topics: Equipment Control-Software Products, Cimetrix Products

Posted by Brent Forsgren on Mar 29, 2017 11:26:00 AM