Front-End IC Design
This process involves conceptualizing and modeling circuit behaviour. This is the foundation for successful IC development, ensuring that the design meets functional and performance requirements before moving into physical implementation.
- Define Specification Detailed specifications are created to outline the performance metrics, operating conditions, and requirements of the circuit, ensuring all design goals are clear and measurable.
- Schematic Design A schematic representation of the circuit is developed, mapping out the components from shortlisted PDK and their connections to visualize the overall design and enable simulation.
- SPICE Simulation Using industry-standard simulation tools, the circuit’s behaviour is analysed under various conditions to verify its performance, robustness, and compliance with specifications.
Back-End Design
This phase translates front-end circuit representation into a physical layout, preparing the design for manufacturing. This step ensures that the circuit can be fabricated while maintaining performance and reliability.
- Custom IC Layout SDL (Schematic Driven Layout) approach uses parameterized cells (PCells) from schematics to create IC layouts. It offers reusable design elements, custom layouts, and techniques like common centroid layout to minimize mismatch and ensure precise matching.
- Placement Optimal positioning of components on the IC is determined to minimize area, improve performance, and meet design constraints.
- Routing Connections between components are established through precise routing to ensure signal integrity and adherence to physical design constraints.
IC Verification
Verification ensures the design’s accuracy, consistency, and manufacturability by thoroughly checking the layout against design rules and verifying the electrical behaviour.
- DRC (Design Rule Check) Ensures the layout complies with foundry-specific manufacturing rules, preventing fabrication errors.
- LVS (Layout Versus Schematic) Confirms that the physical layout matches the intended schematic design, ensuring no discrepancies between design and implementation.
- PEX (Parasitic Extraction) Evaluates parasitic effects such as resistance, capacitance, and inductance, ensuring the circuit performs as expected in real-world conditions.
Tape-Out
Tape-out is the final step in the IC design process, preparing the design for fabrication by ensuring all requirements are met and coordinating with the foundry.
- Chip Finishing Ensures the layout complies with foundry-specific manufacturing rules, preventing fabrication errors.
- Meeting Foundry Requirements Compliance with specific foundry requirements, such as design formats and layer configurations, is ensured to avoid delays in fabrication.
- Facilitating Foundry Interactions Direct communication with the foundry is maintained to address any issues and ensure a seamless transition from design to manufacturing.
