A representation for the process of mechanical design, along with its computer implementation is presented and discussed. The representation consists of three fundamental concepts: design objects, constraints, and decisions. The design objects are the structures with which the physical artifacts of the design are described. A design object consists of a set of attributes that represent the properties and characteristics of that object. The values of these attributes are specified by the constraints of the design. The constraints specify the values of and relations between the attributes of the design object. The conglomeration of design objects and their respective constraints define the state of the design. The state of the design can be thought of as a snapshot of the design taken at any particular time in the design process. Changes to this state occur through the introduction of new constraints into the design space. New constraints are brought into the design by the application of a design decision. The design decision process consists of a set of input constraints, an evaluation performed on those input constraints and the subsequent generation of one or more new resulting constraints. These new constraints in turn affect the attribute values and relations of the design objects, thereby changing the state of the design. This representation is capable of storing not only the final state of a design, but the initial and intermediate states as well. Maintained also, is the process of change from one design state to the next. By using this representation, one can inspect the evolution of design objects, the propagation and dependencies of the constraints, and the rationale behind the decisions of the design. This representation was developed from data extracted from mechanical design protocols. These protocols were of mechanical designers solving original design problems and consisted of video recordings, verbal transcripts, and the designer's original drawings. The representation was implemented in HyperClass, an object oriented programming environment. The implementation is capable of generating and displaying graphical images of the design. The design information extracted from the protocols can be recorded by the implementation developed. / Graduation date: 1991

The Etching Chamber is the most important component of Etcher. It provides an environment to etch wafer and transfer wafer to another chamber by robotic arm. The purpose of this research is to solve some problem such as the huge deformation around the edge of a hole which connected with a vacuum pump. And make use of the Engineering Design Method to redesign the original Etching Chamber. In the first place, the objectives of Etching Chamber are clarified, then establish function analysis figure and set requirement to separate all problem into all sub-problem . Second, by means of determining characteristics as well as generating alternatives, we can find all sub-solutions. Finally, we combine all solutions together by evaluating alternatives and improving details. Then we can find better solutions through appropriate process as well as solve all problem. Later, we use the computer aid design tool I-DEAS to draw and analyse Etching Chamber. In the end, we display the results and discuss after analysing chamber. What is more, we prove the performance and manufacturing cost of redesign Etching Chamber is better than original Etching Chamber.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-136).

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