The input for the LPCVD Thermal Analyzer is in a keyword phrase format. Keyword phrases generally are a short description of a required input parameter, followed by a space, an equals sign, a space, and the alphanumeric value of the parameter. Each phrase should be on a separate line, although the LPCVD Thermal Analyzer will ignore extra line breaks and extra spaces between words in the input file. For some keywords, only the keyword itself is required, while for others, additional information is required. In many cases, there are default values associated with the variables and in such cases the keyword need not be included if the default value is acceptable.

For organizational purposes, groups of related keyword phrases are arranged into blocks. Each input block begins with a block title on a line, followed by lines containing the required keywords, and terminated with the word END on the last line of the block. Keyword phrases must be included in the proper block, but within a block, the order of the keywords may vary. The order in which the keywords are input is unimportant, but some keywords that appear as lists must be ordered. For example, when entering information about heaters as a list of labels, heights and temperatures, the label numbers must correspond to heights in ascending order.

The details of the keyword blocks and keyword phrases and their use are given in Specify the Grid through Solve the Model , below. For those keywords that affect control of the solution through interface with the Twopnt or DASPK software, the appropriate solver parameter is stated. An example keyword line is provided for all keywords. The following list summarizes the rules governing the syntax of the keywords: