An object-oriented blackboard based approach for automated finite element modeling and analysis of multichip modules

This paper addresses the application of the blackboard system architecture and object-oriented data abstraction techniques to the domain of finite element modeling and analysis. Specifically, a hierarchical object-oriented database was used to represent the physical system at different levels of abstraction including the user-defined physical system level, a computer-generated, simplified physical model level, and the finite element model level. Object link relationships within a given abstraction level and across different abstraction levels resulted in seamless bidirectional information exchange. The blackboard system architecture employed provided a framework for distributed cooperative problem solving, for the application of simplifying domain-specific modeling assumptions, and for integrating the various software modules that are involved in the entire finite element modeling and analysis process. These methodologies were implemented in a prototype computational tool calledIMCMA theIntelligentMultichipModuleAnalyzer. An example illustrates howIMCMA automates finite element thermal analysis of small integrated circuit features in multichip modules through a two-step finite element submodeling process.