7.2 The Modular Architecture

Modularity is vital for an environment like SIESTA, since it is of utmost importance to be able to replace or change system components during the evolution of a simulation environment without affecting components which rely on it. In this context object orientation offers an effective way to accomplish this modularity.

SIESTA encapsulates functionality in a unified way by means of modules. A module imports new capabilities into an application in a comfortable, and structured way. SIESTA's module mechanism automatically resolves loading of module code in a way that minimizes the programming effort in the event that a module needs to be imported into an application. Furthermore, bootstrapping, initialization, and termination are performed in a unified manner which results in a stable and highly comfortable environment, for both, the users of TCAD applications and their programmers.