CN1329865C - Customized Binder Management System and Method - Google Patents

Abstract

A customized binder management system. A corresponding customized binder management method and user interface are also provided. In the preferred embodiment, the system includes a document schema database for storing a plurality of documents and corresponding schema information, a management server having rules, search, security and notification engines, and a web server for providing an interactive website for displaying documents and allowing the creation of customized binders. The customized binder management system provides notification at the web site to notify the user when the status of the document changes. Unique technical identifiers can be used to establish relationships between documents.

Description

Customized Binder Management System and Method

technical field

The present invention relates to Web-Based file management. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a customized Document Portfolio management system, method and user interface related to the design and manufacture of integrated circuits.

Background technique

Integrated circuit design typically includes the fabrication of schematic images of display circuit components (often referred to as Cells) for each functional unit in the integrated circuit and the interconnection between the components. This schematic is typically converted to a physical layout, which is a geometric representation of the circuit and consists of polygons and interconnecting paths. For example, the layout specifies the relative dimensions and positions of material layers stacked on a silicon wafer to form circuit components and internal connections.

In addition to the relationship between schematic and physical layout, integrated circuit design must also match the process, such as technology, equipment and capabilities. IC manufacturing processes in different fabs may vary. For example, a more advanced fabrication capability may produce integrated circuits with narrower line widths and less space between adjacent features than a poorer fabrication capability. Depending on the manufacturing plant's process technology and techniques and the materials used, there may be different solid geometry configurations to limit the application. These constraints are generally referred to as design rules. For example, design rules may include area specifications for a design layout, such as minimum spacing between transistors, minimum spacing between conductors to avoid short circuits, minimum metal width, contact size and spacing for contact points, and minimum Transistor length and width. Therefore, in the early stages of the manufacturing process, IC designers often need to access technical files related to the fabrication and design rules of the fab.

Today, integrated circuit manufacturing is highly developed and semiconductor foundries can offer their customers a variety of different technology choices and process options. Manufacturing plants usually provide multiple process technologies corresponding to different geometries (such as 0.35 micron, 0.25 micron, 0.22 micron, 0.18 micron, 0.15 micron, 0.13 micron, etc.) and different products (such as logic products, MS/RF, embedded flash memory, etc. ) technical documents. A characteristic of technical documents is that some may be subordinate to others. Therefore, when a file is modified, its related files must usually be updated accordingly to avoid version conflicts.

Technical files are usually delivered in a number of ways. One way is to assign a customer service agent to monitor the status of the file on behalf of the customer and manually transfer the file to the customer as required. This approach is labor intensive, slow and/or susceptible to human error and oversight.

In the second way, some manufacturers can provide customers with all technical documents on the file transfer protocol (FTP) website, without interlinking according to their relevance. Often a file will be related to multiple other files and can be implemented in multiple geometries and/or product types. In addition, some manufacturers may not classify files according to geometric size and product type. In this instance, customers may be categorizing, searching, organizing and obtaining the files they need in an inefficient manner.

In a third possibility, the manufacturer must provide the latest synchronized versions of all design-related files online for customer access. The disadvantage of this approach is that the client of the design must spend time determining which files related to the design have been changed. Furthermore, when technical documentation is updated, there is often no further information available to the client to assess the impact of the original versus subsequent design.

In the fourth method, the manufacturer provides the latest technical documents online without version synchronization. This method has the same disadvantage as the previous method, the customer must spend time to determine which files related to the design have been changed. In addition, because the versions of the files are not synchronized, customers must evaluate the compatibility of related files between versions. Conflicting versions can cost a lot of time and money to fix, or worse, delay the launch of new products. Therefore, there is a need for an improved mechanism for manufacturers to manage files for their customers to access.

Contents of the invention

According to one aspect of the present invention, a system and method are provided that allow integrated circuit designers to easily create a binder of their own selected technical files related to their designs. Another aspect of the invention provides a web-based user interface that allows integrated circuit designers to easily maintain and monitor their own binders of technical documentation. Another aspect of the invention provides customized and validated design-related files that relate to the specific skills of the IC designer. Another aspect of the invention provides a notification mechanism to indicate file status, such as which file has been updated and its version compatibility.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a customized binder management system, including: a file catalog data (Megadata) database, used to store classified files and their catalog information, a file storage management server, designed as a security engine, rules engine, search engine and notification engine, and a web server for providing an interactive website for displaying classified documents on which an end user can compile a customized binder.

When the end user logs into the website, the security engine can authenticate the user's identification information, and search the document catalog data database according to the selection on the website to create a customized binder. The rules engine identifies the state of the document in the document catalog data database. The notification engine monitors the state of the custom binder and sends notifications when the state changes. In addition, the management server can further provide a sharing engine to allow users with pre-defined permissions to share the customized binder.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a customized binder management method is provided. A feature of this method is to provide a browseable file directory and allow users to create their own customized binders by selecting required files. Another feature is that delivery notifications can be used to allow monitoring of the status of files in a custom binder when the status of any file in the binder changes. Therefore, the service of creating, maintaining, managing and monitoring customized binders of technical documents online can be achieved. In addition, the web-based user interface can provide an indicator (Indicator) to notify the binder owner that the status of the files in the binder has changed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a user interface for managing binders is provided. The user interface includes a row listing at least one binder. The user interface also includes notification rows for each binder. The user interface also includes an On-Screen selection button corresponding to each binder for selecting a corresponding folder, and an On-Screen selection button for causing the selected binder to be displayed. When the status of a file in the binder changes, an indicator will appear on the notification line.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a user interface for managing binders is provided. The user interface includes a row listing at least one file of a binder and a notification row corresponding to each listed file. The user interface also includes a window selection button corresponding to each listed file for selecting a corresponding file, and a window selection button for causing the selected file to perform an action. When the status of a file in the binder changes, an indicator will appear on the notification line.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of providing a set of related files is provided. In this method, a set of technology identifiers is provided. Each technology ID is unique and represents a predetermined combination of technology parameters (such as geometry, application, technology, voltage, etc.). At least one technology identifier is assigned to each plurality of documents in the database. There may be other documents in the database that do not receive a technology identifier. A specific technology ID is selected from the group of technology IDs described above. The technology-specific identifier is one that has been assigned to at least one of the plurality of documents. Documents in the database are searched for databases with specified technology-specific identifiers. The retrieved files are grouped into a first group of files. Documents in the first set of documents are associated by specifying a technology-specific identifier.

A first set of documents listed on the user interface is presented to a user. For example, the user interface can be provided via the Internet. This method allows the user to select files from the first group of files to create a customized file group through the user interface, and allows the user to store the customized file group on a server through the user interface. This method allows the user to add or delete files from the customized file group through the user interface when needed. In a preferred embodiment, the method can monitor the status of files in the customized file group to determine status changes. For example, a status change can be a new file version being available, a file version conflict between related files, and/or an obsolete file in a customized file group. Notified Users will be notified when one or more files in the customized file group are detected to have changed state. Notifications can be sent to the user by email and/or by providing a color-coded indicator on the user interface to the user. In a preferred embodiment, a link may be provided on the user interface to direct the user to the appropriate file corresponding to the detected state change.

Description of drawings

In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following specific examples are given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and are described in detail as follows:

FIG. 1 shows the general architecture of a customized binder management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A to 2E are diagrams showing user interfaces allowing users to create customized binders according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C are user interfaces that allow sharing of created binders according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A to 4D illustrate user interfaces that allow monitoring, management, and creation of customized binders according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5A to 5D illustrate user interfaces that allow file version monitoring, updating and deletion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating a user interface allowing an authorized user to download a technical fact sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating user interfaces allowing authorized users to download customized binders according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for providing customized binder management according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the development of customized binder management according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows the boilerplate document list (BOD) of FIG. 9 .

11A to 11B show the list of standard files in FIG. 9 .

12A to 12B show the customized file list of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 13 shows a user interface used by a system administrator in a manufacturing plant according to an embodiment of the present invention.

14A to 14B show user interfaces used by customers according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Symbol Description:

100-Customized binder management system;

105-file storage body;

110-document outline database;

120 - management server;

130-web server;

140, 150-client;

220 - Blu-ray symbol;

240-red light symbol;

260-yellow light symbol;

802, 804, 806, 808-operation steps;

1010-mixable relationship;

1020-mutually exclusive relationship;

1030 - Permalink relationship.

Detailed ways

FIG. 1 shows a general structure of a customized binder management system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a service that allows customization and monitoring of a technical binder provided by a semiconductor manufacturing plant is exemplified. The customized binder management system 100 includes a file catalog data database 110 , a file storage management server 120 and a web server 130 . Although the components in FIG. 1 are shown separately, the components 105, 110, 120, 130 on the server side of the system into any number of groups, and/or these components 105, 110, 120, 130 may be located on different machines in different locations. In addition, these components 105, 110, 120, 130 may also be parts of a larger system, and the components of other parts are not shown in the figure.

For example, technical files created by a semiconductor manufacturing plant can be stored in a file storage 105 . In more detail, technical documents are appropriately classified and stored in the document catalog data database 110 and catalog information of classified documents is also stored in the document catalog data database 110 . Among them, technical documents can be classified according to geometry and product application.

The management server 120 is coupled and communicated with the document catalog data database 110 . For example, the management server 120 includes a security engine module, a rule engine module, a search engine module, a notification engine module and a sharing engine module. The web server 130 is coupled to communicate with the management server 120 . The web server 130 provides a website and a graphical user interface to the client (eg user or design client) 140 or 150 . The client can communicate with the web server 130 through a communication network (public or private, and using a security protocol of encryption technology). The user at the client end can interactively access the system 100 through a web browser (such as Microsoft's Explorer and Netscape's Navigator or Opera). For example, the user at the client 140 or 150 may be an IC design customer authorized by the manufacturer to access the website. For example, a client may be an automated or semi-automated computer system using software to communicate and log into a web server to check for and/or receive status updates and/or files.

In a preferred embodiment, the web server 130 provides a website and a specific user interface with specific functions to allow clients and users to create, monitor and maintain their own design binders from a collection of technical documents. In typical operation, an authorized IC designer 140 or 150 uses a standard web browser to access the website provided by the web server 130 to communicate with the web server 130 . The security engine authenticates the end user's identification information by comparing it with the predetermined customer information provided by the manufacturer. For a new device or component design, such as a new semiconductor product, the website provides an interactive user interface that allows authorized customers to create new and customized binders corresponding to the new design. The management server 120 accesses the document catalog data database 110 according to user requirements, and displays a summary of technical documents on the user interface for selection.

2A to 2E show user interfaces that allow customers/users to create customized binders, such as customized "Bill Of Documents (BOD)". The technical documents have preliminary classification and are stored in the document catalog data database 110 according to different technologies, such as geometric level and IC product characteristics. A user interface is shown in FIG. 2A. In one embodiment, the first step in creating a binder corresponding to a new product is to select a geometric level from a drop-down menu. For example, in FIG. 2A , the user can select 0.25 μm from a geometric size list including 0.35 μm, 0.25 μm, 0.22 μm, 0.18 μm, 0.15 μm, and 0.13 μm. Thereafter, the user interface is shown in FIG. 2B , providing a list of various IC product types. Available IC product applications (such as Logic, MS/RF, CIS, ITRAM, or EmbFlash, and electrical characteristics) can be selected from the drop-down menu (see Figure 2B). Different key electrical characteristics of selected products can be listed to provide options, as shown in Figure 2B.

After the technology-related geometry and product application selection, a preliminary technology definition is completed. The search engine of the management server 120 searches the document database 110 according to the technical definition, and lists some or all related technical documents. FIG. 2C shows a list of all files related to the 0.25 micron logic design, which may include file type, brief description, version status, and remarks column. Designers can select the required files from the list and "Add to BOD" button to store a new binder/BOD including the files for this check. As shown in FIG. 2D , the web server 130 generates a window to specify the file name and description of the customized binder/BOD. This window also allows users to choose whether to receive engineering change notifications (Engineering Change Notifications, ECN). Stored binders can then be displayed as a dashboard, as shown in Figure 2E, which lists all binders that the user can view. In addition, an authorized user can also delete an existing binder by selecting the "Delete" button in FIG. 2E.

In a preferred embodiment, the website provides sharing of any customized binder/BOD to select users. The sharing engine of the management server 120 manages the sharing situation between other authorized users (such as group members) and the BOD. 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating user interfaces that allow sharing of binders/BODs according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, a design company can provide a list of team members to the manufacturing plant, so that after creating a customized binder/BOD as shown in Figure 3A, a designer can select "ShareBOD" to generate a list of team members . After selecting the "Share BOD" button shown in Figure 3A, another user interface appears, as shown in Figure 3B, and the user can select team members (typically and preferably limited to other people in the same company) to share the BOD binder. Afterwards, when the shared user logs in to the website, the user interface displays a control panel displaying all shared folders of the user (eg, users authorized to access), as shown in FIG. 3C . The sharing engine of the management server 120 can be coded so that the shared users can only see the shared folders, but have no rights to update, delete or add. However, in other embodiments, users of specific shares may also have the right to update, delete or add.

4A to 4D are examples of user interfaces provided by the customized binder system 100 for editing or managing existing customized binders/BODs. As shown in Figure 4A, a binder is selected. With this binder selected, if the user presses the "View Tech Doc" button (see Figure 4A), the selected binder/BOD is displayed, as shown in Figure 4B, along with all selected listed document. Other information about each listed file can also be displayed, such as file type, file number, brief description, current and new version of the file in the binder, as shown in FIG. 4B.

As also shown in FIG. 4B , the customized binder system 100 of this embodiment only allows authorized users but not shared users to add, delete and update technical files. When the authorized user selects the "AddMore Document" button, the user interface shown in FIG. 4C provides a list showing unselected documents associated with the currently viewed binder's defined technology. Available files are displayed with a checkbox allowing authorized users to select them. Authorized users can check the checkbox corresponding to a required or desired document, and select "Add to BOD" to store the addition to the currently viewed BOD (see Figure 4C).

Therefore, an authorized user can also select the "Delete" button, as shown in FIG. 4B, to delete files from the currently viewed binder. Figure 4D is a diagram showing the displayed files available in the binder and the corresponding checkboxes. Authorized users can check the file and select the "Delete" button to cause deletion of an obsolete file, as shown in Figure 4D. Therefore, authorized IC designers can easily maintain a customized binder related to a new IC product through the interactive website provided by the web server 130 .

In addition, the customized binder system 100 of FIG. 1 provides engineering notifications of file status changes. In a preferred embodiment, when a customized binder of specific technical documents is created by the IC design team, the notification engine of the management server 120 monitors the version status of each document in the binder. When a selected version of a file in a binder is updated, for example, the notification engine can send a notification to the binder's owner (eg, the design team) by email. The notification engine of an embodiment can also provide a notification on a specific user interface when any authorized member logs into the website. The notification engine forwards a notification, such as via email, to binder creators and sharers, including document obsolescence, version conflicts, and/or availability of new versions in the BOD. This notification can also be displayed in a specific user interface with a corresponding indicator when the user accesses the binder online (see FIG. 5A ).

5A to 5D are user interfaces showing file version monitoring, updating and deleting. As shown in FIG. 5A, when a user logs into the website, a list showing the folders that the user can access is displayed. A column of notifications, such as the ECN column in FIG. 5A, is displayed to visually indicate the status of the files in each binder. In the preferred embodiment, Blu-ray symbol 220 indicates that a new version of the file is available. A yellow light symbol 260 indicates a version conflict, and a red light symbol 240 indicates that at least one file in the binder has been discarded by the factory (see FIG. 5A ). Therefore, with the red-coded indicator, the user can easily recognize and pay attention to the status change. When the user selects the radio (Radio) button of a binder on the list and presses the "View Tech Doc" button, the details of the document status can be viewed, such as viewing BOD, as shown in Figure 5A.

Although the example uses a circular light symbol to illustrate the indicator, other symbols, shapes and colors may be used in other embodiments. Additionally, in other embodiments, sounds may be used in conjunction with visual symbols to alert the user of status changes. In FIG. 5A, note that a symbol with the letter "R" inside a white box is used as an indicator. The "R" indicator can optionally be used to highlight a new or existing document suggested by the manufacturer for reasons (such as new technology, new process method, better integration, cost savings, etc.). Other such indicators may also be used to draw the user's attention to a particular document or binder/BOD document suggestion.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the selected binder is then displayed in detail with indicators for each listed file in the "Status" column indicating the status of the file. In FIG. 5B, a DRC command file is marked with a blue light indicator 220 to indicate that a new version of the DRC command file is available to the semiconductor fab. The current and new version numbers are shown separately on the table. Optionally, a remark can be included in the "Remark" column of the table to briefly describe the version difference. The current version in the BOD can be updated by authorized users. In FIG. 5B, the authorized user checks the check box with the new version file and selects "Update Version". Afterwards, the management server 120 will update the DRC instruction file in the binder to the latest version and the status area of the DRC instruction file becomes empty (no indicator).

As shown in Figure 5C, the red light indicator 240 shows that the document has been discarded by the manufacturing plant. Authorized users may decide whether to retain or delete such obsolete versions. In an embodiment, an authorized user can delete an obsolete file by selecting the file's checkbox and pressing the "Delete" button (see FIG. 5C ). Pressing the "Delete" button allows the management server 120 (see FIG. 1 ) to receive instructions from the web server 130 to remove obsolete files from the binder and disable/remove the red light indicator 240 .

In Figure 5D, one file has a yellow light indicator 260 to indicate a version conflict. Usually when a file (such as a parent file) is changed or modified to create a new version of the file, related files (such as child files) usually must be modified accordingly. An example of a version conflict is when a parent document and its corresponding child documents are modified, and the user only updates the parent document with the new version but not the child documents. In this example, the version of the child file in the binder does not match the version of the parent file, so a version conflict occurs. In this example, an embodiment may display a yellow light indicator 260 and provide a reference to a new version of the sub-file that is available, as shown in Figure 5D. Additionally, optionally, a notification (eg, yellow light indicator 260) can be placed after the parent file with a note stating that the child files of that file have version conflicts that need to be resolved. The system 100 can provide the above-mentioned notification in real time, so that the user can know that a version conflict occurs when an update action of a specific file is performed and the folder is still being viewed and managed. Because many files are dependent on other files, it can happen that many new file versions are not fully synchronized because the related files are being updated by the factory. In this example, the yellow light indicator 260 may alert the designer that the file is being updated, but not yet complete, and thus the designer can evaluate the impact of his design work.

Maintenance of customized binders can only be performed by authorized users through the website. In an embodiment, shared users can only receive notification emails and view folders with indicator notifications, and have no add, delete or update rights. However, in other embodiments, sharing users may have more rights. For design teams with multiple members, key designers can manage customized binders and other shared users can view the status of the same binder without modification rights.

In one embodiment, the web server 130 allows authorized users to download a fact sheet and/or file package of a binder. 6A-6C are diagrams illustrating user interfaces allowing authorized users to download fact sheets.

The user interface of FIG. 6A displays a list of previously created custom binders. An authorized user may select the radio button for a specific listed binder and press the "Technology Fact Sheet" button to obtain fact sheet information for that binder. The technical information of the selected binder, such as geometry, product type, and product features, is then displayed in a pop-up window, as shown in FIG. 6B. The user interface of Figure 6B allows the user to print or download the fact sheet by pressing the "Download Fact Sheet (download fact sheet) in CSV Format" button. A prompt window then allows the user to download the file or directly open it, as shown in FIG. 6C.

7A and 7B are diagrams showing user interfaces allowing authorized users to download customized binders/BODs. In FIG. 7A, a selected BOD is displayed, listing all the documents therein (after the authorized user selects the binder and presses the "View Tech Doc" button, as shown in FIG. 6A). In Figure 7A, authorized users can select the "Download BOD in CSV Format" button to download the binder in CSV format. After performing the above actions, a prompt window appears to allow the user to download the file or directly open it, as shown in FIG. 7B .

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for providing customized binder management according to an embodiment of the present invention. A website is provided to include a browsable directory of documents categorized by technology. The website allows the user to begin creating a custom binder by selecting a technology category (see block 802 of FIG. 8). In the technology category, relevant documents related to this technology category are listed. For example, these documents may be technical documents related to IC design and provided by the manufacturer. All technical files can be pre-categorized by manufacturing geometry (such as 0.35um, 0.25um, 0.18um, 0.13um, etc.) and product characteristics (such as logic, MS/RF, ITRAM, EmbFlash, etc.). A list of documents associated with the selected technology category is displayed by the website, and the website allows the user to select documents for their customized binder (see block 804 of FIG. 8).

The status of the files in the customized binder is monitored by the system 100 (eg, by the manufacturer) (see block 806 of FIG. 8). In an embodiment, a notification engine (shown in FIG. 1 ) monitors the status of selected files in binders in file database 110 . If the status of any file in the binder changes, a notification is sent to the user associated with the binder or the user designated to receive notifications (see block 808 of FIG. 8). When the user logs into the website to view the changes, an indicator on the website will appear (see Sections 2E, 3A, 4A, 4D, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 6A, 14A and 14B). When the user uses the system 100 through the website, the indicator notifies the user of file changes.

As mentioned above, in an embodiment, for example, the blue indicator 220 may be used to indicate that a new version has been provided by the manufacturer, the yellow indicator 260 may be used to indicate the occurrence of a version conflict, and the red indicator 240 may Used to indicate that a document has been discarded by the manufacturer. Therefore, the website allows the user to update the version and/or delete obsolete files from the binder according to the notification of the corresponding indicator. Authorized users and/or other users can get more detailed information on file status changes from the Remarks column. Therefore, the system and method flow described above provide IC designers to easily manage and monitor fab technical files related to their own designs by creating customized binders. The customized binder management service provided by the embodiment can save design companies the time and manpower spent on managing technical documents and intellectual property libraries.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the development of a customized binder/BOD according to an embodiment. Figure 9 shows three types of BOD: sample BOD, standard BOD and customized BOD. A prototype BOD can be used by the manufacturing plant during the development phase in preparation for a standard BOD. A boilerplate BOD defines document relationships for a document type hierarchy. Different template BODs can be developed for different technologies. FIG. 10 shows the template BOD of FIG. 9 .

Referring to FIG. 10, a template BOD has 3 types of relationship possibilities between each file. An example of each relationship type is shown in the template BOD in Figure 10. A blendable relationship 1010 is a relationship in which at least one component can be selected. Although in some cases, due to market offers or some other reasons, some components cannot exist in a BOD at the same time. A mutual exclusion relationship 1020 is a relationship in which once a parent component is selected, only one component can be selected to the parent component. A Hard Link relationship 130 is a relationship in which once a parent component is selected, all components that are hard linked to this component are automatically selected.

After the template BOD is created, the standard BOD can be created on the template BOD (for example, through the client file authority check). A standard BOD is usually based on the customer's input and requirements (such as technical requirements) to provide the customer with a list of documents with the largest size and certification for selection at the document number, title, and version levels. The more customer input received during the assessment of customer needs, the more accurate a list of documents can be obtained, corresponding to the documents obtained and the customer's needs.

FIG. 11A shows the standard BOD of FIG. 9, wherein the standard BOD is derived from the model BOD of FIG. 10 (see FIG. 9). Note that for the standard BOD in Figure 11A, only two components (Logic and Emb DRAM) are used by the four components (Logic, Mixed Signal, Flash, and Emb DRAM) in layer 2 of the model BOD (see Figure 9) . In the third layer of the standard BOD in FIG. 11A, two intellectual property libraries are displayed: 99AV04 and 00BV01. FIG. 11B shows the architecture of the standard BOD in FIG. 11A in Outline format with checkboxes. Referring to Figures 11A and 11B, three technical documents are shown linked to (relating to) IP-Lib: 99AV04: DRC, LVS and RCX. This relationship is also shown in the bulleted list of Figure 11B. In level 5 of the standard BOD, the three displayed technology files are respectively linked to (relevant to) three technology files in each level 4: DRM, SPICE and SPICE. Note that in this example, the same file, SPICE is related to both LVS and RCX files.

Summarizing the relationship of the standard BOD example in Figure 11A, each Logic and Emb DRAM component has a mixable relationship in the 0.18 micron technology category. Intellectual property database files, IP-Lib:99AV04 and IP-Lib:00BV01, each have a mutually exclusive relationship with Logicm components. Layer 4 technology files (DRC, LVS and RCX), each relative to IP-Lib:99AV04 (in this example it is intermixable, but in other examples may be intermixable or mutually exclusive ). Layer 5 technology files (DRM and SPICE) have fixed link relationships to layer 4 individual technology files (DRC, LVS and RCX). In other words, the DRC is the parent file of the related DRM, so that if the DRC is selected, the DRM is automatically selected due to their relationship. Therefore, in this example, the DRM is a child file of the parent file DRC. In some examples, parent-child relationships can be reversed between tiers, as permalinks can be in both directions (as required by the appropriate relationship). The standard BOD example in FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B is just a simplified example. The type and position of the relationship between layers (mixable, mutually exclusive, fixed link), the number of components and files, and the number of layers can vary in different embodiments.

If the user were to view the standard BOD of Figure 11A (as previously described, a user-friendly interface on a website) and select the components and files needed when creating a custom BOD, it could be as shown in Figures 12A and 12B Show. FIG. 12A shows the customized BOD of FIG. 9 . In the customized BOD in FIG. 12A , the user has to select a specific file, which is marked with an "X" in the check box in FIG. 12B to represent the user's action of selecting a file in the user interface. Therefore, according to the standard BOD in FIG. 11A , the user creates the customized BOD in FIG. 12A to meet the user's planning needs.

When a customer attempts to create a custom BOD (where a standard BOD is available to the user) on the fab's website, the customer can retrieve the relevant file set based on the customer's application and geometry (eg, 0.13 micron logic). After the client generates its list of files selected from the standard BOD, the client can store it. After storing the customized BOD, the customer can access and/or modify the files in the BOD.

Figure 13 shows the user interface used by the system administrator in the manufacturing plant (customer/user may not see it) to create and/or modify standard BOD or add files to the database. In FIG. 13, an existing file (file number T-025-MM-CL-005) is modified. If desired or needed, the administrator can store it as a new file number (eg, save as) to generate a new file from an existing file. In addition, if desired or needed, managers can add Remarks to summarize the changes made. In the document stage (Document Stage) selector (Selector) (see Figure 13), the administrator can specify the document as normal (Normal), new version (O.X version) or pre-release (Pre-Release). In the website of Figure 13, the administrator has the option to specify which files are relevant and which applications are relevant. As shown in Figure 13, there are multiple applications displayed.

As indicated at the bottom of the web page in Figure 13, multiple "Unique Tech ID (unique technology identification code)" titles are displayed. In an embodiment, these "Unique Tech IDs" (hereinafter referred to as technology identifiers) are used to establish relationships between documents. Two documents are related if they share a common technology identifier. When the technical ID is used by the system 100 and by the factory manager to organize, create and manage BOD and documents, the customer/user will not see the technical ID.

The letters and numbers in each technology identifier have their associated meanings. For example, in the displayed technology identification code "CL013HP-1.2/3.3-ACU". In this example, the 1st column (or 1st character) is "C", which indicates a CMOS/BiCMOS (C-CMOS) application. The second column is the technical type, and here "L" means Logic. Columns 3 to 5 are geometry, and here "0.13" means 0.13 microns. Columns 6 to 7 are applications, and "HP" here indicates high-speed applications. Column 8 is center voltage (expressed in volts)/I/O voltage (expressed in volts), and here is "1.2/3.3". "-" is simply a delimiter to make the technology identifier easier to read. Columns 9 to 11 are metal (Beol Metal), and "ACU" here means All Copper. This is just an example of a technology identifier. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, other cases are possible. A code list can be provided to translate the meaning of any technical identifier. Thus, each document can either have its own associated technology ID code, and any technology ID can occur in any file code. With this technology ID, the system 100 can use the technology ID to quickly and automatically collect relevant documents.

14A and 14B show a typical user interface provided to the customer when the customer views the list of BOD files. The listing of files begins in Figure 14A and continues in Figure 14B. In the example shown in Figures 14A and 14B, each of the red, blue and yellow indicators (as previously described) is used to provide notifications to the user. Note that in FIG. 14A, when a new version is available, a link to the new version is provided in the user interface, so that the user does not have to look for it and the user can download it immediately to update the BOD. In addition, it must also be noted that in Figure 14B, when a version conflict notification is provided, a link to the document that needs to resolve the version conflict is provided (again saving the user a lot of time and effort). Therefore, using the embodiments of the present invention can save users or design teams a lot of time to create and maintain binders for documents provided by the factory. Furthermore, by using embodiments of the present invention, the occurrence of misuse of documents (such as using obsolete documents, or using two versions of related documents, version conflicts) should be significantly reduced or eliminated. This prevents a lot of confusion and human error, as well as saves money, for customers and manufacturers using the present invention.

Claims (17)

1. A customized binder management system, including: A document catalog data database, used to store multiple pre-classified documents and corresponding catalog information; a management server designed with a rule engine, a search engine, a security engine and a notification engine; and a web server providing an interactive website for displaying the pre-categorized files and allowing a user to create a customized binder; Wherein, the security engine is used to authenticate user identification information, the search engine is used to search the document catalog data database according to at least one selection on the website when creating the customized binder, and the rule engine is used to identify the The file status in the file catalog data database, and the notification engine is used to monitor the status of the customized binder and provide notification when the status changes. 2. The customized binder management system according to claim 1, wherein the document is a technical document provided by a manufacturing plant related to integrated circuit design. 3. The customized binder management system according to claim 2, wherein the technical files are pre-classified according to at least one of manufacturing geometry and electrical characteristics. 4. The customized binder management system according to claim 1, wherein the management server is used to allow a user to add files to the binder and delete files from the binder. 5. The customized binder management system according to claim 1, wherein the management server further provides a sharing engine for allowing a user to share and access the customized binder with other users. 6. The customized binder management system according to claim 5, wherein the notification engine is used to provide a notification to the sharing user when the binder file is changed. 7. The customized binder management system according to claim 1, wherein the notification engine is used to provide an indicator on the website to display a status change in the binder file. 8. The customized binder management system according to claim 7, wherein the indicator represents at least one selected from a group consisting of available new file version as an update, file version conflict, file obsolete, and suggested file state. 9. The customized binder management system of claim 8, wherein the indicator comprises color-coded symbols displayed on the website. 10. The customized binder management system according to claim 8, wherein the management server further allows a user to replace a saved file in the binder with a new version of the saved file. 11. The customized binder management system according to claim 8, wherein the management server further allows a user to delete obsolete files from the binder. 12. A customized binder management method, comprising the following steps: providing a website including a browsable directory of documents and allowing a user to select a category; display on the website a list of documents of the selected category; Allow the user to select files from the list to create a customized binder; monitor the status of files in the custom binder; and Provides a notification when the status of a file in the custom binder changes. 13. The customized binder management method according to claim 12, wherein the document is a technical document related to integrated circuit design provided by a manufacturer. 14. The customized binder management method according to claim 13, wherein the browsable directory of the files is classified according to at least one of manufacturing geometry and electrical characteristics, and the relationship between technical files is provided and Stored as outline information. 15. The customized binder management method according to claim 14, wherein the catalog information includes a unique technical identification code. 16. The customized binder management method according to claim 12, further comprising providing an indicator on the website to indicate a status change in the binder file. 17. The customized binder management method according to claim 12, further comprising the following steps: Designate a group of users to have the shared access rights of the customized binder; and allow any of the designated users to access and use the customized binder.

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