Introduction¶

This document describes the usage and technical reference of the python program TXLWizard written by Esteban Marin (estebanmarin@gmx.ch).

What does it do?¶

The TXLWizard provides routines for generating TXL files (.txl) for the preparation of E-Beam lithography masks using python code. The TXL files can be processed with BEAMER. See the following links:

The TXLWizard currently implements version 4.8 of the TextLIB (TXL) standard.

The generated TXL files are also converted to HTML / SVG for presentation in any modern browser or vector graphics application and allow rapid mask development.

Moreover, a command line interface TXLConverter provides conversion of existing TXL files to HTML / SVG (See Section TXLConverter).

Why should I use it?¶

TXL File Format:

Text-based file format
Can be generated with any scripting language (Python / Matlab / etc.)
Easy to use
Optimized E-Beam Performance due to References to objects and array of replicated objects (SREF, AREF)

TXLWizard:

Create masks with well-structured scripts
Flexible Python Scripting
Mask-Code easy to read and reusable
Automated label generation

Installation¶

The TXLWizard is written in python and will run in Python version 2.7+ and 3.1+.

In order to use it, the TXLWizard package must be available as a python package, i.e. either it must be copied to Path_to_my_python_installation/site-packages/ or to the path where your script is located.

Alternatively, you can also prepend the following command to your python script:

import sys
sys.path.append('path_to_the_folder_containing_TXLWizard')

Please note that this must be the parent folder containing the TXLWizard.

Structure / Pattern / Attribute¶

The following terms are used throughout this manual:

Structure¶

Refers to an object containing one or more Pattern objects. A Structure corresponds to the STRUCT command in TXL files.

Pattern¶

Refers to a pattern such as a circle, a polygon, an ellipse, a path, etc. The following patterns with the corresponding TXL command in brackets are supported:

Circle (C)
Ellipse (ELP)
Polygon (B)
Polyline (P)
Reference (SREF)
Array (AREF)

For more information, supported parameters, etc., see Section Patterns.

Attribute¶

Refers to an property of a Pattern determining the visual appearance of the Pattern. The following attributes with the corresponding TXL command in brackets are supported:

Layer (LAYER)
DataType (DATATYPE)
RotationAngle (ANGLE)
StrokeWidth (WIDTH)
ScaleFactor (MAG)

Please note that the TXLWizard strictly implements the specification of the TXL format. This implies some peculiarities, such as

Attribute commands preceed the corresponding Pattern in a Structure and are valid for all patterns that follow unless the attribute value is changed. Therefore, when adding a Pattern to a Structure with certain attributes, the attributes are valid for any subsequently added pattern, unless a different attribute value is specified.
Attribute commands are valid for all patterns, except for Reference (SREF) and Array (AREF). Therefore the attributes of a pattern can only be specified in the structure where the pattern is added / defined.
The RotationAngle attribute applies to each Pattern individually and rotates about each Pattern‘s individual origin.

Example SVG Output¶

An example output can be seen here:

Example SVG output for a mask

How to start?¶

Have a look at the examples in Section TXLWizard Examples and consult the Python Module Reference. Happy scripting!