Laboratories#

Laboratories are the space in which devices and resources exist and where tasks, experiments, and campaigns of experiments take place.

A laboratory in EOS is a collection of:

  • Computers (e.g., devices capable of controlling equipment)

  • Devices (e.g., equipment/apparatuses in the laboratory)

  • Resources (e.g., containers for holding samples, reagents, lab location, consumables, etc.)

Laboratory Implementation#

  • Laboratories are implemented in the laboratories subdirectory inside an EOS package

  • Each laboratory has its own subfolder (e.g., laboratories/color_lab)

  • The laboratory is defined in a YAML file named lab.yml.

Below is an example laboratory YAML file for a solar cell fabrication lab:

lab.yml

name: solar_cell_fabrication_lab
desc: A laboratory for fabricating and characterizing perovskite solar cells

computers:
  xrd_computer:
    desc: XRD system control and data analysis
    ip: 192.168.1.101
  solar_sim_computer:
    desc: Solar simulator control and J-V measurements
    ip: 192.168.1.102
  robot_computer:
    desc: Mobile manipulation robot control
    ip: 192.168.1.103

devices:
  spin_coater:
    desc: Spin coater for depositing perovskite and transport layers
    type: spin_coater
    computer: eos_computer

    meta:
      location: glovebox

  uv_ozone_cleaner:
    desc: UV-Ozone cleaner for substrate treatment
    type: uv_ozone_cleaner
    computer: eos_computer

    meta:
      location: fume_hood

  thermal_evaporator:
    desc: Thermal evaporator for metal electrode deposition
    type: thermal_evaporator
    computer: eos_computer

    init_parameters:
      max_temperature: 1000C
      materials: [Au, Ag, Al]

    meta:
      location: evaporation_chamber

  solar_simulator:
    desc: Solar simulator for J-V curve measurements
    type: solar_simulator
    computer: solar_sim_computer

    init_parameters:
      spectrum: AM1.5G
      intensity: 100mW/cm2

    meta:
      location: characterization_room

  xrd_system:
    desc: X-ray diffractometer for crystal structure analysis
    type: xrd
    computer: xrd_computer

    meta:
      location: characterization_room

  mobile_robot:
    desc: Mobile manipulation robot for automated sample transfer
    type: mobile_robot
    computer: robot_computer

    init_parameters:
      locations:
        - glovebox
        - fume_hood
        - annealing_station
        - evaporation_chamber
        - characterization_room

    meta:
      location: characterization_room

resource_types:
  vial:
    meta:
      capacity: 20  # ml

  petri_dish:
    meta:
      capacity: 100  # ml

  crucible:
    meta:
      capacity: 5  # ml

resources:
  precursor_vial_1:
    type: vial
    meta:
      location: glovebox

  precursor_vial_2:
    type: vial
    meta:
      location: glovebox

  precursor_vial_3:
    type: vial
    meta:
      location: glovebox

  substrate_dish_1:
    type: petri_dish
    meta:
      location: glovebox

  substrate_dish_2:
    type: petri_dish
    meta:
      location: glovebox

  au_crucible:
    type: crucible
    meta:
      location: evaporation_chamber

  ag_crucible:
    type: crucible
    meta:
      location: evaporation_chamber

Computers (Optional)#

Computers control devices and host EOS devices. Each computer that is required to interface with one or more devices must be defined in this section. The IP address of each computer must be specified.

There is always a computer in each lab called eos_computer that has the IP “127.0.0.1”. This computer is the computer that runs the EOS orchestrator, and can be thought of as the “central” computer. No other computer named “eos_computer” is allowed, and no other computer can have the IP “127.0.0.1”. The “computers” section need not be defined unless additional computers are required (e.g., if not all devices are connected to eos_computer).

EOS computers 
computers:
  xrd_computer:
    desc: XRD system control and data analysis
    ip: 192.168.1.101
  solar_sim_computer:
    desc: Solar simulator control and J-V measurements
    ip: 192.168.1.102
  robot_computer:
    desc: Mobile manipulation robot control
    ip: 192.168.1.103

Devices (Required)#

Devices are equipment or apparatuses in the laboratory that are required to perform tasks. Each device must have a unique name inside the lab and must be defined in the devices section of the laboratory YAML file.

devices:
  spin_coater:
    desc: Spin coater for depositing perovskite and transport layers
    type: spin_coater
    location: glovebox
    computer: eos_computer

  uv_ozone_cleaner:
    desc: UV-Ozone cleaner for substrate treatment
    type: uv_ozone_cleaner
    location: fume_hood
    computer: eos_computer

  thermal_evaporator:
    desc: Thermal evaporator for metal electrode deposition
    type: thermal_evaporator
    location: evaporation_chamber
    computer: eos_computer
    init_parameters:
      max_temperature: 1000C
      materials: [Au, Ag, Al]

type: Every device must have a type, which matches a device specification (e.g., defined in the devices subdirectory of an EOS package). There can be multiple devices with different names of the same type.

location (optional): The location where the device is at.

computer: The computer that controls the device. If not “eos_computer”, the computer must be defined in the “computers” section.

init_parameters (optional): Parameters required to initialize the device. These parameters are defined in the device specification and can be overridden here.

Resources (Optional)#

Resources represent anything that tasks should exclusively allocate, such as containers (vessels for holding samples), lab locations that can only be occupied by one container, reagents, or other consumables.

Resources are defined using two sections in the laboratory YAML file:

  1. resource_types: Templates that define the properties of a resource type

  2. resources: Individual resource instances with unique names

resource_types:
  vial:
    meta:
      capacity: 20  # ml

  petri_dish:
    meta:
      capacity: 100  # ml

resources:
  precursor_vial_1:
    type: vial
    meta:
      location: glovebox

  precursor_vial_2:
    type: vial
    meta:
      location: glovebox

  substrate_dish_1:
    type: petri_dish
    meta:
      location: glovebox

Resource Types:

  • Define templates with shared properties for resources of the same type

  • meta (optional): Default metadata for all resources of this type (e.g., capacity)

Resources:

  • Each resource has a unique name (e.g., precursor_vial_1)

  • type: The resource type (must match a defined resource_type)

  • meta (optional): Instance-specific metadata, which overrides or extends the resource type’s meta (e.g., current location)