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Emis: An online fact retrieval and publication system†
Infonotion Pmcrssing & Monagtmcnl Pnnted in Great Britain.
Vol. 18. No. 2, pp. 6143,
03064573/82/o6oo6I-03$03.W/0 0 1982 Pergamon Press Ltd.
1982
EMIS: AN ONLINE FACT RETRIEVAL AND PUBLICATION SYSTEM? J. L.
SEARS
Institution of Electrical Engineers, International Information Services for the Physics and Engineering Communities, Station House, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SC5 IRG, England (Received for publication 21 October
1981)
AbstractEMIS is an online multi-purpose research tool for scientists and electrical engineers who study, process or use solid-state electronic materials. It provides for:
(a) Retrieval of continuously updated information on hundreds of properties (selected materials). (b) Rapid publication of research results (all electronic materials). (c) Selection of material supply sources (all electronic materials).
INTRODUCTION
EMIS stands for Electronic Materials Information Service. “Electronic materials” means substances which form the basis of solid state electronic devices. For example, silicon and lithium niobate. “Information” means text and numeric data on the properties of selected substances plus details of what materials are supplied by commercial producers throughout the world. “Service” means the provision of online retrieval and publication facilities in one multipurpose system. WHO WILL USE EMIS?
The main users will be electrical engineers and scientists who process, study or use solid state electronic materials. EMIS should be particularly relevant to those working in the materials processing part of the electronic device product cycle. For example, where a sizeable group of researchers are involved in examining, characterising and improving the properties of the EMIS “core coverage materials” (initially silicon, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide and lithium niobate) they will be able to use EMIS: (a) To get quick, directly usable answers to straight forward questions such as “What is the melting point of single crystal silicon?” (b) To keep continuously updated on the evolution of knowledge (as opposed to the generation of articles) on all properties of the core materials. This applies even to very specialised and difficult areas, e.g. “electrical conductivity vs temperature for glow discharge prepared amorphous silicon”. The above two facilities apply only to the core materials. In addition, EMIS offers two other major facilities which are not confined to particular substances-they exist for the whole gamut of solid-state materials. The two facilities are electronic publication of research results and the provision of continuously updated information on materials suppliers. These will be described later. ACCESS TO THE SERVICE
EMIS is mounted on the GEISCO Mark III network, run by the U.S.A. based General Electric Information Service Company. This is a truly international network with over 500 nodes in 32 countries. Users in most parts of the world can connect their terminals to EMIS by dialing a local telephone number, since the geographical density of nodes is very high. For example, there are 25 nodes for 10 or 30 c.p.s. access in the U.K. and 40 nodes in California. tpaper presented at the 8th Cranfield Conference on Mechanised Information Transfer, 21-24 July 1981, Cranfield Institute of Technology, England. 61
62
J. L.
SEARS
Users of such services as DIALOG, ORBIT and IRS already have the necessary equipment for getting online to EMIS. In addition, they will require only one user number and one associated password. After typing these the user is immediately entered into the EMIS system and is ready to search the database. SEARCHING
THE DATABASE
The first prompt message the user sees after typing the password is almost self explanatory: EMIS: Choose.. 1. Properties
. 2.
Supply
3.
Log-off
The user types “1” for the Materials Properties File and “2” for the Materials Supply File. These are two independent files of information which will be described later. Suppose you want to know the mobility of electrons in p-type epitaxial layers of gallium arsenide. You first enter the Materials Properties File (GaAs) by typing “l”, in response to which you receive the prompt: Enter codes (MC =, PC =, AU = , RN =) or U for update info ? You enter the command “MC = GAAS, PC = ME”, i.e. the material code for GaAs and the property code for electron mobility. The system then tells you how many records give factual text and data on electron mobility in gallium arsenide. To pick out those records dealing specifically with p-type epitaxial layers you can scan through restricted format versions of records on all forms of gallium arsenide and select the ones of interest. This illustrates the simplicity of the method for searching the Materials Properties File. There are several other modes of searching (e.g. by the author name) and it is equally simple to search the Materials Supply File. THE MATERIALS
PROPERTIES
FILE
This comprises thousands of independent records of numeric data and associated text on the properties of the EMIS core coverage materials (initially, Si, GaAs, InP and LiNb03). Records are continuously being added, deleted and merged. Each record in the Materials Properties File gives factual information on one property of one material originating from one source. Some are derived from existing compilations (e.g. reviews) and much of the pre-1981 coverage of properties has relied on this type of source. However, since about January 1981, all papers, reports and books received by INSPEC has been sifted daily for text and data on all properties of the core materials. The records range in length from one line to over sixty lines. Those derived from papers giving original research results, include a considerable amount of descriptive text on sample and measurement techniques in order to make the data meaningful. Besides records on the core materials produced from information in the literature, the Materials Properties File also acts as publication medium. This will be discussed later. Thus EMIS is coping with the information explosion within its field of coverage by continuously intercepting information as fast as it is generated and cutting down vast tracts of text to essential numeric data accompanied by details of sample preparation, measurement, etc. Since the current research output is rapidly and thoroughly analysed with a high degree of involvement by the research community, EMIS can for most practical purposes be relied upon for source referenced up-to-date factual information on hundreds of properties of all material states of selected substances. MATERIALS
SUPPLY
FILE
This enables scientists or engineers to make a provisional selection of suppliers when seeking a particular type of material system for a specific crystal growth, research or device application.
EMIS: an online fact retrieval and publication system
63
The principal way of doing this is to specify a category of material by typing a material classification code. One then sees displayed exactly what is provided within that category by companies throughout the world. Descriptions giving details such as film thickness, purity, dopants, orientation, applications, etc. are provided for each type of material supplied by a company. In addition, individual contacts and world-wide lists of agents are printed for each company. Note that this file is not restricted to particular substances. KEEPINGUPDATEDONDATABASECONTENT
A user wanting to know exactly what is available in the Materials Properties File at any one time, or what kind of information has been added since any one date, can very easily do so. For example, a user interested in indium phosphide can obtain an up to the minute alphabetically sorted list of properties of indium phosphide for which there is data on the system. And for each property the retrieval code is given. If instead the user prefers to have listed properties for which information has been added since any date he cares to specify, he can obtain this equally easily. Another useful pointer to the updating of the database is the materials listing. This allows users to rapidly determine for what substances information has been added since any specified date. PUBLICATION
ON EMIS
Publication on EMIS means communicating refereed research results to all people having access to the system. These can be on any property of any electronic material. Each record of original data or evaluated data published by EMIS is inserted into the Materials Properties File. It includes, apart from up to 60 lines of text/data, the full name, telephone number and address of the author, the publication date, the “received” date and, where applicable, referees comments and author replies to these. FEEDBACK
FROM
USERS
At the end of an online session the user has the option of logging off right away or of entering a message to the database producer. These are read daily by EMIS staff and, where appropriate, a reply is phoned or mailed immediately. RECAP
EMIS is an online multi-purpose research tool for scientists and electrical engineers who study, process or use solid-state electronic materials. It provides for: (a) Retrieval of continuously updated information on hundreds of properties (selected materials). (b) Rapid publication of research results (all electronic materials). (c) Selection of material supply sources (all electronic materials).
Vol. 18. No. 2, pp. 6143,
03064573/82/o6oo6I-03$03.W/0 0 1982 Pergamon Press Ltd.
1982
EMIS: AN ONLINE FACT RETRIEVAL AND PUBLICATION SYSTEM? J. L.
SEARS
Institution of Electrical Engineers, International Information Services for the Physics and Engineering Communities, Station House, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SC5 IRG, England (Received for publication 21 October
1981)
AbstractEMIS is an online multi-purpose research tool for scientists and electrical engineers who study, process or use solid-state electronic materials. It provides for:
(a) Retrieval of continuously updated information on hundreds of properties (selected materials). (b) Rapid publication of research results (all electronic materials). (c) Selection of material supply sources (all electronic materials).
INTRODUCTION
EMIS stands for Electronic Materials Information Service. “Electronic materials” means substances which form the basis of solid state electronic devices. For example, silicon and lithium niobate. “Information” means text and numeric data on the properties of selected substances plus details of what materials are supplied by commercial producers throughout the world. “Service” means the provision of online retrieval and publication facilities in one multipurpose system. WHO WILL USE EMIS?
The main users will be electrical engineers and scientists who process, study or use solid state electronic materials. EMIS should be particularly relevant to those working in the materials processing part of the electronic device product cycle. For example, where a sizeable group of researchers are involved in examining, characterising and improving the properties of the EMIS “core coverage materials” (initially silicon, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide and lithium niobate) they will be able to use EMIS: (a) To get quick, directly usable answers to straight forward questions such as “What is the melting point of single crystal silicon?” (b) To keep continuously updated on the evolution of knowledge (as opposed to the generation of articles) on all properties of the core materials. This applies even to very specialised and difficult areas, e.g. “electrical conductivity vs temperature for glow discharge prepared amorphous silicon”. The above two facilities apply only to the core materials. In addition, EMIS offers two other major facilities which are not confined to particular substances-they exist for the whole gamut of solid-state materials. The two facilities are electronic publication of research results and the provision of continuously updated information on materials suppliers. These will be described later. ACCESS TO THE SERVICE
EMIS is mounted on the GEISCO Mark III network, run by the U.S.A. based General Electric Information Service Company. This is a truly international network with over 500 nodes in 32 countries. Users in most parts of the world can connect their terminals to EMIS by dialing a local telephone number, since the geographical density of nodes is very high. For example, there are 25 nodes for 10 or 30 c.p.s. access in the U.K. and 40 nodes in California. tpaper presented at the 8th Cranfield Conference on Mechanised Information Transfer, 21-24 July 1981, Cranfield Institute of Technology, England. 61
62
J. L.
SEARS
Users of such services as DIALOG, ORBIT and IRS already have the necessary equipment for getting online to EMIS. In addition, they will require only one user number and one associated password. After typing these the user is immediately entered into the EMIS system and is ready to search the database. SEARCHING
THE DATABASE
The first prompt message the user sees after typing the password is almost self explanatory: EMIS: Choose.. 1. Properties
. 2.
Supply
3.
Log-off
The user types “1” for the Materials Properties File and “2” for the Materials Supply File. These are two independent files of information which will be described later. Suppose you want to know the mobility of electrons in p-type epitaxial layers of gallium arsenide. You first enter the Materials Properties File (GaAs) by typing “l”, in response to which you receive the prompt: Enter codes (MC =, PC =, AU = , RN =) or U for update info ? You enter the command “MC = GAAS, PC = ME”, i.e. the material code for GaAs and the property code for electron mobility. The system then tells you how many records give factual text and data on electron mobility in gallium arsenide. To pick out those records dealing specifically with p-type epitaxial layers you can scan through restricted format versions of records on all forms of gallium arsenide and select the ones of interest. This illustrates the simplicity of the method for searching the Materials Properties File. There are several other modes of searching (e.g. by the author name) and it is equally simple to search the Materials Supply File. THE MATERIALS
PROPERTIES
FILE
This comprises thousands of independent records of numeric data and associated text on the properties of the EMIS core coverage materials (initially, Si, GaAs, InP and LiNb03). Records are continuously being added, deleted and merged. Each record in the Materials Properties File gives factual information on one property of one material originating from one source. Some are derived from existing compilations (e.g. reviews) and much of the pre-1981 coverage of properties has relied on this type of source. However, since about January 1981, all papers, reports and books received by INSPEC has been sifted daily for text and data on all properties of the core materials. The records range in length from one line to over sixty lines. Those derived from papers giving original research results, include a considerable amount of descriptive text on sample and measurement techniques in order to make the data meaningful. Besides records on the core materials produced from information in the literature, the Materials Properties File also acts as publication medium. This will be discussed later. Thus EMIS is coping with the information explosion within its field of coverage by continuously intercepting information as fast as it is generated and cutting down vast tracts of text to essential numeric data accompanied by details of sample preparation, measurement, etc. Since the current research output is rapidly and thoroughly analysed with a high degree of involvement by the research community, EMIS can for most practical purposes be relied upon for source referenced up-to-date factual information on hundreds of properties of all material states of selected substances. MATERIALS
SUPPLY
FILE
This enables scientists or engineers to make a provisional selection of suppliers when seeking a particular type of material system for a specific crystal growth, research or device application.
EMIS: an online fact retrieval and publication system
63
The principal way of doing this is to specify a category of material by typing a material classification code. One then sees displayed exactly what is provided within that category by companies throughout the world. Descriptions giving details such as film thickness, purity, dopants, orientation, applications, etc. are provided for each type of material supplied by a company. In addition, individual contacts and world-wide lists of agents are printed for each company. Note that this file is not restricted to particular substances. KEEPINGUPDATEDONDATABASECONTENT
A user wanting to know exactly what is available in the Materials Properties File at any one time, or what kind of information has been added since any one date, can very easily do so. For example, a user interested in indium phosphide can obtain an up to the minute alphabetically sorted list of properties of indium phosphide for which there is data on the system. And for each property the retrieval code is given. If instead the user prefers to have listed properties for which information has been added since any date he cares to specify, he can obtain this equally easily. Another useful pointer to the updating of the database is the materials listing. This allows users to rapidly determine for what substances information has been added since any specified date. PUBLICATION
ON EMIS
Publication on EMIS means communicating refereed research results to all people having access to the system. These can be on any property of any electronic material. Each record of original data or evaluated data published by EMIS is inserted into the Materials Properties File. It includes, apart from up to 60 lines of text/data, the full name, telephone number and address of the author, the publication date, the “received” date and, where applicable, referees comments and author replies to these. FEEDBACK
FROM
USERS
At the end of an online session the user has the option of logging off right away or of entering a message to the database producer. These are read daily by EMIS staff and, where appropriate, a reply is phoned or mailed immediately. RECAP
EMIS is an online multi-purpose research tool for scientists and electrical engineers who study, process or use solid-state electronic materials. It provides for: (a) Retrieval of continuously updated information on hundreds of properties (selected materials). (b) Rapid publication of research results (all electronic materials). (c) Selection of material supply sources (all electronic materials).