Workshop on Advanced Integrated Circuit Design

U.S.-Japan Collaborative Workshop on Advanced Integrated Circuit Design

(Phase 2)

Fukuoka System LSI Development Center 2F

May 14 - May 15, 2024

https://www.kerc.or.jp/seminar/2024/04/5145152.html

In recent years, R&D and investment in semiconductors have become more active in countries around the world, and at the same time, the need for human resource development has been pointed out. In Japan in particular, the construction and attraction of factories for semiconductor "manufacturing" is accelerating, and various activities are being developed, but in the future, it is necessary to accelerate discussions on semiconductor "design". Against this backdrop, with the support of the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka, we decided to hold a workshop in collaboration with the U.S. In December 2023, we held the U.S.-Japan Collaborative Workshop on Circuit Design (Phase 1), a state-of-the-art integrated circuit design, with the aim of learning about the latest situation in both countries through lectures on cutting-edge design technology and human resource development in Japan and the United States, as well as discussing the future direction and possibilities for international collaboration. We cover a wide range of topics, including open IC design, advanced analog and digital circuit design, generative AI processing (LLM) acceleration, optical circuit design, cryogenic classical and quantum computing, and new device technologies. Hybrid format (lectures can be held at Fukuoka venues and ZOOM Webinars), free of charge, with simultaneous English-Japanese interpretation. Therefore, it is a form that is easy to participate in. This is a good opportunity to learn about global trends, so not only those who specialize in semiconductors, but also those who are even a little interested in semiconductors, please join us. Students are also welcome to participate! In addition, we plan to have a simple hands-on session in the tutorial session, so if you are interested, please bring / prepare a laptop.

Outline of the event

Date & Time

DAY-1: May 14, 2024 10:00 a.m. ~ 4:00p.m.
DAY-2: May 15, 2024 10:00 a.m. ~ 4:05 p.m.

Hybrid format (lectures can be held at Fukuoka venues and ZOOM Webinars)
Online (Zoom Webinars)

Fukuoka Venue: Fukuoka System LSI Development Center 2F
(〒814-0001 3-8-33 Momochihama, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka City)
There is no parking lot at the venue, so if you come by car, please use the
nearby paid parking lot.

Participation Fee:  free

Application
[Application deadline: May 13]
Please apply from the link below (you can also apply for either Day-1 or Day-2 only). Simultaneous interpretation in English and → is available at the Fukuoka venue and ZOOM Webinars. The first 70 people to participate at the Fukuoka venue and the first 400 people to participate in the ZOOM Webinar will be closed to the first 400 people. If you wish to cancel after applying for the Fukuoka venue, please contact us as soon as possible. In addition, we are planning a simple hands-on, so please bring your laptop (you can participate without a laptop).

Application Form

Program Details  (subject to update) https://www.kerc.or.jp/seminar/2024/04/5145152.html

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Day-1: May 14, 10:00-16:00 (JST)

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10:00 - 10:05 Opening Remark and Overview of the Workshop, Mehdi Saligane/Koji Inoue, University of Michigan/Kyushu University

[Morning Session: Invited Talks]
10:05 - 10:10 Welcome Remarks from the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka
10:10 - 10:55 LLMs on ASICs, Greg Kielian/Kauna Lei, Google Research
11:00 - 11:45 Teaching Mixed-Signal Design Using Open-Source Tools, Boris Murmann, University of Hawaii
11:45 - 13:00 Lunch Break

[Afternoon Session: Tutorials]
13:00 - 14:00 Photonic and Analog circuits with GDSFactory, Joaquin Matres/Troy Tamas, Google X/DoPlayDo, Inc.
14:00 - 14:15 Break
14:15 - 15:45 ReaLLMASIC: Build your own Lightweight LLM, Gregory Kielian/Kauna Lei/Shiwei Liu/Mehdi Saligane, Google Research/University of Michigan
15:45 - 16:00 Conclusion, Mehdi Saligane, University of Michigan

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Day-2: May 15th, 10:00-16:05 (JST) 

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10:00 - 10:05 Opening Remark and Overview of Day-2 Workshop, Mehdi Saligane/Koji Inoue, University of Michigan/Kyushu University
[Morning Session: Invited Talks]
10:05 - 10:50 Superconductor Computer Architecture: from Classical to Quantum, Ilkwon Byun, Kyushu University
10:50 - 11:35 Overview of new devices in the era of Beyond CMOS, Sadayuki Yoshitomi, Megachips
11:35 - 13:00 Lunch Break
[Afternoon Session: Tutorials]
13:00 - 13:55 (Tentative: GLayout), Anhang Li/Boris Murmann/Mehdi Saligane, University of Michigan/University of Hawaii
13:55 - 14:50 (Tentative: XLS: High-Level Synthesis), Johan Euphrosine, Google
14:50 - 15:05 Break
15:05 - 16:00 Pitfalls of Open-Source Chip Design Verification, Mitch Bailey, Efabless/ShuhariSystem
16:00 - 16:05 Conclusion and Overview of the phase-2 workshop activities, Mehdi Saligane/Koji Inoue, University of Michigan/Kyushu University

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Organizer

University of Michigan
Kyushu University System LSI Research Center Kyushu University
Quantum Computing Systems Research Center Kyushu University
Value Creation Semiconductor Human Resource Development Center

Co-organizers
Fukuoka Prefectural Foundation for the Promotion of Industry, Science and Technology Kyushu Economic Research Association

Sponsor
U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka

Inquiries
ic-design-ws 'at' slrc.kyushu-u.ac.jp (replace 'at' with @)
Okano, Business Development Department, TEL: 092-721-4907

[webinar] Open Source EDA Development of Chips in Europe

Professor Marie-Minerve Louerat, Sorbonne Université-CNRS, GoIT Project, has announced the upcoming webinar on Open Source EDA fostering development of Chips in Europe

"Introduction to the open-source EDA ecosystem"

online webinar to foster engagement for Open-Source EDA and Open-Silicon development in Europe

📅 Tuesday May 14, 2024 🕙 10:00-12:00 (CEST) with Free Online Registration

Workshop Agenda:

• European Semiconductor Design Ecosystem (10 min)
• Matthew Xuereb, European Commission
• Open-Source Semiconductor Ecosystem (15 min)
• Luca Alloatti, Free Silicon Foundation (I) ETS
• Open-Source EDA Software and Semiconductor Design (15 min)
• Jean-Paul Chaput, Sorbonne Université, Coriolis Foundation
• European Roadmap on the Advancement of Open-Source EDA Tools, next steps (15 min)
• Rihards Novickis, Latvian Institute of Electronics and Computer Science
• Q&A session / Feedback (up to 1 hour)

NB: 2nd event - to be announced

Location: Paris, Sorbonne Université

📅 Date: June 18, 2024, before FSiC2024 conference

[course] MEAD @ EPFL

Low-Power Analog Circuit Design

Live Course @ EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland

JUNE 17-21, 2024

Registration Deadline: May 17, 2024 >> REGISTER

MONDAY, June 17
8:30 am-12:00 pm	MOS Transistor Modeling for Low-Voltage and Low-Power Circuit Design	Christian Enz
1:30-5:00 pm	Design of Low-Power Analog Circuits using the Inversion Coefficient	Christian Enz
TUESDAY, June 18
8:30 am-12:00 pm	Noise Performance of Elementary Circuit Blocks	Boris Murmann
1:30-5:00 pm	Opamp Topologies and Design Fundamentals	Boris Murmann
WEDNESDAY, June 19
8:30-10:00 am	Low-Power High Efficiency OpAmp Design	Klaas Bult
10:30 am-12:00 pm	Low-Power High Efficiency Residue Amplifiers	Klaas Bult
1:30-3:00 pm	Analog Design Methodology and Practical Techniques for Frequency Compensation	Vadim Ivanov
3:30-5:00 pm	Energy Efficient Voltage References, Biasing in Analog Systems and Current Sources	Vadim Ivanov
THURSDAY, June 20
8:30-10:00 am	Power Dissipation in ADC Buidling Blocks	Klaas Bult
10:30 am-12:00 pm	Power Dissipation in ADCs	Klaas Bult
1:30-5:00 pm	Micropower ADCs	Kofi Makinwa
FRIDAY, June 21
8:30 am-12:00 pm	Energy Efficient Sensor Interfaces	Taekwang Jang
1:30-5:00 pm	Low-Power Frequency Reference Circuits	Taekwang Jang
1:30-5:00 pm	Power Management With Nanoampere Consumption and Efficient Energy Harvesting	Vadim Ivanov

SSCS April Technical Webinar

SSCS April Technical Webinar

Getting Started with Open Source Silicon, Presented By: Matthew Venn

Abstract: In this presentation, Matt Venn will share his experience of getting started with chip design using the free and open source tools. Going from zero to 20 chips in 3 years, there are plenty of successes and failures to share. Matt will then move on to sharing the best resources, inspirational example projects, and showcase some of his own tools. The presentation will finish with a demonstration showing just how easy and cheap it is to get your own chip manufactured today.

Biography: Matt Venn is a science & technology communicator and electronic engineer. He has been involved with open source silicon for the last 3 years and has sent 20 chips for manufacture. He has helped over 600 people learn the tools, with 300 people taking part in manufacturable designs:

• https://zerotoasiccourse.com/
• https://tinytapeout.com

Date: 2024-04-19 Time: 11 AM ET

Location Webinar - Online

Contact Aeisha VanBuskirk – a.vanbuskirk@ieee.org

Register Here

Postdoc in Semiconductor Devices, and circuit design

Postdoc in Semiconductor Devices, and circuit design

Sønderborg, Denmark

We [sdu.dk] are seeking an enthusiastic new colleague as a PostDoc in the field of Semiconductor Devices, and circuit design. As a postdoc in our team, you will have the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research and innovation in this rapidly evolving field with a strong collaboration with international industry partners.

The position is located in the section of Electrical Engineering in Sønderborg within the Centre for Industrial Electronics (CIE). The Centre has currently approximately 30 faculty members including senior (full and associate professors), junior (assistant professors and postdocs), PhDs, and support staff. The task portfolio of the PostDocs will be linked to one main project and several smaller projects within CIE. CIE is embedded in a powerhouse in electronics, which includes researchers and developers at universities and industries on both sides of the Danish-German border. CIE is a new initiative striving for high quality and great impact of its research, innovation, and education. Central to achieving this objective is access to state-of-the-art facilities and collaborations with industries. In the semiconductor research group in CIE, we are a member of European projects and already settled our international collaborations with the pioneer industry.

The positions aim to build strong knowledge and competencies within the field of semiconductor devices, especially in the fields of wide band gap semiconductor devices, circuit design, failure mechanisms, and simulations.

Job description

• Conduct research in the field of WBG semiconductors with a focus on GaN and SiC devices.
• Innovate design structures through simulation-based approaches calibrated by experimental data.
• Apply TCAD simulation and design tools, build demonstrators, and verify your simulation by experimental measurements.
• Familiar with the fabrication process to realize devices in the clean room and explore their potential applications.
• Experimental characterization of devices (static and dynamic) to analyze the device behavior.
• Stay updated with the latest advancements in WBG semiconductor devices and contribute to the development of innovative solutions.
• You will be involved in the daily supervision of PhD, Master, and Bachelor students who perform research on similar topics.
• You will publish and present your work both at international conferences and in scientific journals with high impact.

Profile and requirements 

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Semiconductor Physics, or a related field.
• Strong background in theory and simulation of WBG semiconductor devices, device modeling, and circuit design.
• Hands-on experience in fabrication processes such as lithography, Mask design, etching, and deposition appreciated.
• Background in characterization techniques, failure mechanisms, and reliability tests.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a research team.
• Strong communication skills to effectively present research findings and contribute to scientific discussions.
• Ability to publish in high-impact conferences and journals.

Starting date: March 2024.
Type of contract: Full-time
Employment: 2-year position

Further information is available from 

Professor Thomas Ebel, Head of CIE, phone: +45 93 50 72 05 

Associate Professor Samaneh Sharbati, phone: +45 65 50 82 60

Conditions of employment
Employment as a postdoc requires scientific qualifications at PhD level. Employment as a postdoc is temporary and will cease without further notice at the end of the period. The successful applicant will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations

The assessment process
Read about the Assessment and selection process. Shortlisting may be used.

Application procedure

• The application must be in English and must include:Motivated application
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae
• Certificates/Diplomas (MSc and PhD)
• List of publications, indicating the publications attached
• Examples of the most relevant publications. Please attach one pdf-file for each publication
• Reference letters and other relevant qualifications may also be included.

Formalities
Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out. The application and CV must not exceed 10 MB. If you experience technical problems, you must contact hcm-support@sdu.dk.

The application deadline is 20. February 2024 at 23.59.

Further information for international applicants about entering and working in Denmark.

Further information about The Faculty of Engineering.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position.

ISHI-kai January 2024 event

2024年1月イベント「オープンソースPDK団体」勉強会国内外のオ
ープンソースPDKやEDAの状況について、キーマンに語っていただきます

With the recent rise in the semiconductor industry, the movement of open source PDK and EDA in Japan and overseas has become active. Therefore, in this study session, key people will talk about the status of open source PDK and EDA in Japan and overseas.

Schedule

Friday, January 26, 2024, 18:00-21:00 (Reception: 18:30)

Venue (onsite)

Google Shibuya Office
3-21-3 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Shibuya Stream Google reception meeting

Online Broadcast: 

Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/ksa-tjaw-ges

Participation Fee

free

Timetable

Time	Speaker	Title	Lecture Outline
Until 18:30	ISHI-kai	reception	The entrance to the facility closes at this time, so if you are participating locally, please come by this time as much as possible.
18:00 ～ 18:30	ISHI-kai	Chat time	-
18:30 ~ 19:15 (Lecture: 30min, Q&A: 15min)	Takeshi Hamamoto Minimal Fab Propulsion Organization Device Engineer	minimal Fab open PDK	1) What is a minimal fab 2) openPDK 3) Design Contest at Semicon 2023
19:15 ~ 20:00 (Lecture: 30min., Q&A: 15min.)	Junichi Okamura IEEE Senior Member	OpenPDK and the World	-
20:00 ~ 20:45 (Lecture: 30min., Q&A: 15min.)	@noritsuna	About the upcoming open source PDK shuttle	(To be released at a later date)
21:00	ISHI-kai	closing

What is ISHI-kai?

The association was named ISHI-kai (Inter-linked Society on Homemade IC Kai). The name was conceived from the Society Community (Association) that handles open (democratized) ISHI = stone = Silicon = semiconductors (ASIC/LSI/IC) and connects various fields.

OpenMPW (Open Multi Project Wafer), which appeared as a forerunner, is a shuttle program created by Google investing in Efabless, and includes the tools necessary for making semiconductors (ASIC/LSI/IC) (EDA/PDK) to ISHI manufacturing in IC fabs). This is exactly the "openness of semiconductors (ASIC/LSI/IC) and EDA/PDK" of the open source movement (democratization of software) that started with GNU!

Therefore, this association was established as a user society community (association) that focuses not only on experts in semiconductors (ASIC/LSI/IC) in the past, but also on those who see the potential of the open source movement of semiconductors (ASIC/LSI/IC) in the future and those who want to create new semiconductors (ASIC/LSI/IC).

We/ISHI-kai will continue to work toward a world where semiconductors (ASIC/LSI/IC) and EDA/PDK can be used by everyone, just as OSs, compilers, libraries, apps, electronic boards, 3D CAD and 3D printers that we/ISHI-kaire only available to experts can now be used by everyone as open source software, open hardware, open modeling, etc.

As for the future activity plan, we/ISHI-kai have a policy of revolutionizing the semiconductor (ASIC/LSI/IC) field by involving people from other fields, and we/ISHI-kai will hold events such as hands-on seminars for ultra-beginners for other fields and in-depth study sessions for experts, form a team to challenge the OpenMPW shuttle and Chipathon from around the world, and Maker we/ISHI-kai would like to participate in events such as Faire, so thank you.

Precautions

As events move online, we/ISHI-kai ask participants to act in accordance with the spirit of the Code of Conduct. If you have any problems, please contact the organizer. If it is judged that there is no improvement in the request even if there is no abuse such as vandalism or malicious intent, we/ISHI-kai may respond on a case-by-case basis. 

https://www.contributor-covenant.org/ja/version/2/0/code_of_conduct/

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the kindness of Google for providing a real/onsite venue.

Cutting-Edge IC Design Workshop

U.S. - Japan Collaboration Workshop
(Phase-1)
Tuesday, December 5 2023; 8:00 - 12:00 AM  (JST)
Wednesday, December 6 2023; 8:00 - 12:00 AM (JST) 

Online

The semiconductor industry is facing a number of challenges in building a stable supply chain. The importance of semiconductors was reaffirmed at the global level, and various initiatives were announced to revitalize and support the semiconductor industry, including investment in infrastructure development and human resource development for cutting-edge foundries. Against this backdrop, it is hoped that the creation of next-generation semiconductor technology and the further expansion of the industry will be achieved based on strong cooperation between Japan and the United States. As a phase 1 toward this goal, this workshop will discuss cutting-edge IC design technologies such as open source IC design, ecosystem construction, and human resource development. This workshop was supported by the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka.

Application deadline is December 12. Please apply individually for DAY-1 and DAY-1the following form (you can also apply for only one of them).

• DAY-1 Application (Click here)
• DAY-2 Application (Click here)

[Participation fee] Free

[Notice] Simultaneous interpretation is available in English and at ZOOM Webinar.

DAY-1: Dec. 5th, 8:00-11:35 AM (JST)

8:00 - 8:05 Opening Remark and Overview of the Workshop, Mehdi Saligane, University of Michigan, Koji Inoue, Kyushu University

8:05 - 8:10 Welcome Remarks from the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka

8:10 - 8:40 TBD, Steve Kosier, Skywater

8:40 - 9:10 The Emerging Ecosystem of Open-Source IC Design: IEEE SSCS Activities and Future Goals, Boris Murmann, Chair of the SSCS TC OSE, University of Hawaii

9:10 - 9:40 Human resource development for Semiconductor Technologies in Fukuoka, Koji Inoue, Fukuoka Semiconductor Reskilling Center/Kyushu University, Hideharu Kanaya, Kyushu University,

9:40 - 9:50 Break

9:50 - 10:20 Lab to Fab in the Cloud: Semiconductor Innovation at Amazon, David Pellerin, AWS 

10:20 - 10:50 TBD, Kai Yick, Google Research ML

10:50 - 11:20 Analog and Mixed-Signal IC Design Automation, David Wentzloff, University of Michigan

11:20 - 11:30 Q&A + Panel Discussion

11:30 - 11:35 Conclusion, Mehdi Saligane, University of Michigan

DAY-2: Dec. 6th, 8:00-11:30 AM (JST)

8:00 - 8:05 Opening Remark and Overview of the Workshop, Mehdi Saligane, University of Michigan, Koji Inoue, Kyushu University

8:05 - 8:35 Innovation by Collaboration: CHIPS Alliance, Rob Mains, CHIPS Alliance, Linux Foundation 

8:35 - 9:05 Developing CMOS+X Platforms for Artificial Intelligence and Beyond, Brian Hoskins, NIST 

9:05 - 9:35 Agile-X: Agile Chip Design and Fabrication Platform, Makoto Ikeda, University of Tokyo

9:35 - 9:45 Break

9:45 - 10:15 The future of semiconductor : chips and chiplets, Dan J. Dechene, IBM Research

10:15 - 10:45 AI Chip Design Center – open hub for chip innovation -, Kunio Uchiyama, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology  

10:45 - 11:15 Democratizing EDA Tooling and Chip Design, Johan Euphrosine, Google (Tentative)

11:15 - 11:25 Q&A + Panel Discussion

11:25 - 11:30 Conclusion and Overview of the phase-2 workshop activities, Mehdi Saligane, University of Michigan, Koji Inoue, Kyushu University

[お問い合わせ] ic-design-ws 'at' slrc.kyushu-u.ac.jp　（ 'at' を @ で置き換えてください）

The first IC designed in B&H has been fabricated

On 18 May 2023, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, presented the first integrated chip of semiconductor technology, which represents the most sophisticated technological process.

FIG: IC oscillates as per design specification and pre/post-layout simulation

Faculty of Electrical Engineering has become one of the higher education institutions where one of the most important engineering disciplines of today and the future is studied according to the best world programmes, with the direct application of industrial standards in teaching, thus preparing the next generation of engineers to be the flywheel of economic revival through innovation.

It took students and professors at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering five years to develop the first integrated chip. Student Vanja Žerić is one of the innovators of this idea, and he states that the knowledge gained was a prerequisite to start the production.

"We are talking about two chips, one of which is a stabilizer or a voltage regulator that has the ability to stabilize the voltage from 1.8 to 3.3 volts. The second was an oscillator that is essential for a chip like this.'', Vanja said.

Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Aleksandar Pajkanović, PhD, who teaches several courses in the field of chip development at the Department of Electronics, pointed out that the CMOS technological process is the most sophisticated technology that exists in the world, and that it is commercially available, and that they have mastered it and demonstrated it through the implementation of the chip.

"It is particularly important to point out that this technology is significant as a military and industrial strategic resource as well as in higher education, and the most important thing is that we are now among world universities that study this field. It is usual for the implementation of chips to be done in doctoral studies, but with great efforts we managed to do it with third-year students. This chip is not intended for commercialization, as we developed it to demonstrate the capability and mastery of such advanced technology." Prof. Pajkanović stressed.

The details of that development are in the following references:

[1] A. Pajkanovic, “On the Application of Free CAD Software to Electronic Circuit Curricula”, 3rd IcETRAN2016, Zlatibor, Serbia, 2016

[2] A. Pajkanovic and Z. Ivanovic, “A Report on Recent Development in Application of Free CAD Software to IC Curricula,” 5th IcETRAN2018, Palic, Serbia, 2018.

[3] A. Pajkanovic, “Introducing Chisel to IC Design Curriculum at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Banja Luka”, 8th RISCV Workshop, Barcelona, Spain, 2018

[4] A. Pajkanovic, “CMOS IC Design from Schematic Level to Silicon within IC Curricula Using Free CAD Software”, INDEL2020, Banja Luka, B&H, 2020.

[5] A. Pajkanovic, “Free/Open Source EDA Tools Application in Digital IC Design Curricula”, 8th IcETRAN2021, Stanisici, B&H, 2021.

[6] A. Pajkanovic, “Open Source CMOS General Purpose Operational Amplifier", MIEL 2021

[7] A. Pajkanovic, "Free IC Design in Education", PSSOH 2021

[read more...]

 

[book] Microelectronic Circuits

Sedra, Adel S., Smith, Kenneth Carless, Carusone, 

Tony Chan, Gaudet, Vincent. 

Microelectronic Circuits. 

United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2020

Circuits by Sedra and Smith has served generations of electrical and computer engineering students as the best and most widely-used text for this required course. Respected equally as a textbook and reference, "Sedra/Smith" combines a thorough presentation of fundamentals with an introduction to present-day IC technology. It remains the best text for helping students progress from circuit analysis to circuit design, developing design skills and insights that are essential to successful practice in the field. Significantly revised with the input of two new coauthors, slimmed down, and updated with the latest innovations, Microelectronic Circuits, Eighth Edition, remains the gold standard in providing the most comprehensive, flexible, accurate, and design-oriented treatment of electronic circuits available today.

Appendix

• B. SPICE Device Models and Design with Simulation Examples

Model files for representative CMOS technologies are provided below:

• 0.8 um CMOS
• 0.35 um CMOS
• 0.18 um CMOS
• 45 nm CMOS
• 7nm FinFET

 

FOSS Circuit Simulators

AN OPEN-SOURCE, FREE CIRCUIT SIMULATOR

by: Bryan Cockfield on July 30, 2023

The original circuit simulation software, called the Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis, or SPICE as it is more commonly known, was originally developed at the University of Califorina Berkeley in the 1970s with an open-source license. That’s the reason for the vast versions of SPICE available now decades after the original was released, not all of which are as open or free as we might like [1].

Fig: The Quite Universal Circuit Simulator includes a GUI based on the Qt toolkit and handles ad and ac analysis, S-parameters, harmonic balance analysis, noise analysis, and so forth. 

We’ve [2] listed all the simulators we found - the good, the bad, and the ugly - that actually did perform circuit simulation in some fashion. They are provided alphabetically, along with the most notable benefits and drawbacks we uncovered.

REF:
[1] An Open-Source, Free Circuit Simulator by Bryan Cockfield on July 30, 2023
[2] Best free analog circuit simulators by Lee Teschler on January 26, 2022

[Workshop] Open Source PDKs and EDA

 Workshop 1: Open Source PDKs and EDAs, 

Community Experiences toward Democratization of Chip Design

RIHGA Royal Hotel Kyoto, Horikawa Shiokoji, Shimogyo ku, Kyoto 600 8237, Japan.

Date & Time: 5:30pm.-7:15pm on June 11 (Sun), 2023

Since its launch in 2020, the Open MPW shuttle program has received over 500 project submissions spanning 9 shuttles. This workshop will explore various topics related to designers' experiences, including measured results, foundry perspectives, and governmental expectations.

Organizers: 

• Makoto Ikeda (The University of Tokyo)
• Mehdi Saligane (University of Michigan)

Program:

1. Design experience: “The Journey of Two Novice LSI Enthusiasts: Tape-Out of CPU+RAM in Just One Month”, Kazuhide Uchiyama, University of Electro-Communications and Yuki Azuma, University of Tsukuba
2. From Zero to 1000 Open Source Custom Designs in Two Years, Mohamed Kassem, Co-founder and CTO, Efabless
3. The SKY130 Open Source PDK: Building an Open Source Innovation Ecosystem, Steve Kosier, Skywater technology
4. Open Source Chip Design on GF180MCU – A foundry perspective, Karthik Chandrasekaran, Global Foundries
5. Japan Foundries' Perspectives on Silicon design democratization, Shiro Hara, Minimal Fab & AIST
6. Google's perspective on Open source PDKs, Open source EDA tools, and OpenMPW shuttle program, Johan Euphrosine and Tim Ansell, Google
7. The Nanofabrication Accelerator Project, Matthew Daniels, NIST
8. Japanese government perspective on Silicon design democratization, Yohei Ogino, The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry METI

VLSI Symposium Workshop1 "Open Source PDKs and EDA" Audience

[chapter] Systematic Design of Analog CMOS Circuits with Lookup Tables

Systematic Design of Analog CMOS Circuits with Lookup Tables

By Paul G. A. Jespers, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium

in Foundations and Trends in Integrated Circuits and Systems

Vol. 2: No. 3, pp 193-243. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/3500000004

Publication Date: 08 May 2023

© 2023 P. G. A. Jespers*

ABSTRACT The idea underlying the methodology described in this monograph consists in the use of a set of Lookup Tables embodying device data extracted prior from systematic runs done once and for all using an advanced circuit simulator, the same as used for final design verifications. In this way, all parameters put to use during the sizing procedure incorporate not only the bearings of bias conditions and geometry, but also every second-order effect present in the simulator’s model, in particular short-channel effects. Consequently, the number of verification simulations one has to perform is not only substantially reduced, but the designer may concentrate on actual design strategies without being bothered by inconsistencies caused by poor models or inappropriate parameters.

Fig: The drain current ID versus the gate-to-source voltage VGS (plain lines) compared to the EKV best fit (+). The other lines represent the exponential and quadratic approximations.

∗The author acknowledges the kind support of Prof. Boris Murmann in writing this monograph.

[paper] 50 Two-Transistor MOSFET Circuits

Harald Pretl* and Matthias Eberlein**

Fifty Nifty Variations of Two-Transistor Circuits: A tribute to the versatility of MOSFETs

IEEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine 13(3):38-46, August 2021

DOI: 10.1109/MSSC.2021.3088968  

  

* Institute for Integrated Circuits, JKU, Linz, Austria
** Semiconductor electronics, TU, Darmstadt, Germany

Abstract: We present a compendium of two-MOS-transistor circuits, spanning the range from simple standard configurations to ingenious arrangements. Using these building blocks, circuit designers can assemble a vast array of complex analog functions. This (incomplete) collection shall serve as a reference and inspiration to junior circuit designers and hopefully contains at least one unexpected example for the professional engineer.

Part 1/2 #thisismagic #circuit #mosfet

Part 2/2 #thisismagic #circuit #mosfet

Acknowledgments: We thank the reviewers for their many mindful suggestions. We want to thank our colleagues at the Institute for Integrated Circuits, Johannes Kepler University Linz, for their support in preparing this manuscript and for their many enlightening discussions.

[paper] SPICE Modeling and Circuit Demonstration of a SiC Power IC Technology

Tianshi Liu¹, Hua Zhang¹, Sundar Babu Isukapati², Emran Ashik³, Adam J. Morgan², Bongmook Lee³, Woongje Sung², Ayman Fayed¹, Marvin H. White¹, and Anant K. Agarwal¹

SPICE Modeling and Circuit Demonstration of a SiC Power IC Technology

IEEE Journal of the Electron Devices Society, vol. 10, pp. 129-138, 2022, 

DOI: 10.1109/JEDS.2022.315036

   
1 Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
2 College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, Albany, NY 12309, USA
3 Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA

Abstract: Silicon carbide (SiC) power integrated circuit (IC) technology allows monolithic integration of 600 V lateral SiC power MOSFETs and low-voltage SiC CMOS devices. It enables application-specific SiC ICs with high power output and work under harsh (high-temperature and radioactive) environments compared to Si power ICs. This work presents the device characteristics, SPICE modeling, and SiC CMOS circuit demonstrations of the first two lots of the proposed SiC power IC technology. Level 3 SPICE models are created for the high-voltage lateral power MOSFETs and low-voltage CMOS devices. SiC ICs, such as the SiC CMOS inverter and ring oscillator, have been designed, packaged, and characterized. Proper operations of the circuits are demonstrated. The effects of the trapped interface charges on the characteristics of SiC MOSFETs and SiC ICs are also discussed.

FIG: Cross-sectional view of the SiC MOSFETs (lot2)

Acknowledgment The authors would like to thank the team at Analog Devices (ADI), Hillview facility for the fabrication of devices and Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The authors also thank D. Xing for providing the customized gate driver for the dynamic characterizations of the circuits

[EZMod3D] Comparing inductance extraction to measurement

EZMod3D is a division of EASii IC, which develops a 3D multi-domain physical simulation software solution (also called 3D field solver) mainly developed to process the design of integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs) and both at the same time (CoDesign). EZMod3D was developed on the basis of an innovative solver enabling a fast simulation. This technology has allowed intensive use internally at EASii IC, targeting the requirements of R&D project: reducing iterations between design and manufacturing.

Very simple, you just need to start with your input data

• GDS2 file, OASIS database, LEF / DEF (ASIC) or Gerber (PCB) or DXF (Packaging)
• Technological file or materials description
• The position of the potentials or flows to be applied
• In pre-sizing step, you can sketchup using advanced user intergrated matrial library

FIG: An inductor, its 3D EZMod3D simulation and LCR measurements. EZMod3D now extracts inductance values and shows good agreement with measurements.

Measured value is 477nH; close to the simulated 481nH)

[read more...]

[paper] Bridging the gap between design and simulation of low voltage CMOS circuits

C. M. Adornes, D. G. Alves Neto, M. C. Schneider and C. Galup-Montoro

Bridging the gap between design and simulation of low voltage CMOS circuits

2021 IEEE Nordic Circuits and Systems Conference (NorCAS), 2021, pp. 1-5,

DOI: 10.1109/NorCAS53631.2021.9599867

Abstract: This work proposes a simplified MOSFET model based on the Advanced Compact MOSFET (ACM) model, which contains only four parameters to assist the designer in understanding how the main MOSFET parameters affect the design. The 4-parameter model was implemented in Verilog-A to simulate different circuits designed with the ACM model. A CMOS inverter and a ring oscillator were designed and simulated, either using the 4-parameter ACM model or the BSIM model. The simulation results demonstrate that the 4-parameter model is very suitable for ultra-low-voltage (ULV) modeling. In the ultra-low-voltage domain, some of the secondary effects of the MOSFET are not relevant and thus not included in the 4-parameter model. A simplified MOSFET model for the ULV domain is of great importance to applications such as energy harvesting, sensor nodes for the Internet of Things, and always-on circuits.

C. M. Adornes Video Presentation NorCAS 2021

Acknowledgment: The authors would like to thank the Brazilian agencies CAPES, finance code 001, and CNPq for supporting this work.

REF:

[1] A. I. A. Cunha, M. C. Schneider and C. Galup-Montoro, "An MOS Transistor Model for Analog Circuit Design", IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, vol. 33, no. 10, pp. 1510-1519, October 1998

[2] C. Galup-Montoro and M. C. Schneider, "The compact all-region MOSFET model: theory and applications", IEEE 16th International New Circuits and Systems Conference (NEWCAS), pp. 166-169, June 2018

[3] M. C. Schneider and C. Galup-Montoro, CMOS Analog Design Using All-Region MOSFET Modeling, Cambridge University Press, 2010

[4] C. Galup-Montoro and M. C. Schneider, MOSFET modeling for circuit analysis and design, World Scientific, 2007

[5] Verilog-A Reference Manual, Agilent Technologies, 2004

[6] 0. F. Siebel, "Um modelo eficiente do transistor MOS para o projeto de circuitos VLSI," Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, 2007

[7] F. N. Fritsch, R. E. Shafer and W. P. Crowley, "Algorithm 443: Solution of the transcendental equation wew=x," Commun. ACM, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 123-124, 1973

[8] O. F. Siebel, M. C. Schneider and C. Galup-Montoro, "MOSFET threshold voltage definition, extraction and some applications," Microelectronics Journal, vol. 43, no. 5, pp. 329-336, May 2012

[9] G. Hiblot. DIBL-Compensated Extraction of the Channel Length Modulation Coefficient in MOSFETS. IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 65, no. 9, pp. 4015-4018, 2018

[10] BSIM4v4.5.0 Technical Manual, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA. 2004

[11] Y. Tsividis and C. McAndrew, Operation and Modeling of the MOS Transistor, Oxford Univ. Press, 2011

[12] J. V. T. Ferreira, C. Galup-Montoro, "Ultra-low-voltage CMOS ring oscillators. Electronics Letters," IET, v. 55, n. 9, p. 523-525,2019

[13] E. M. Camacho-Galeano, C. Galup-Montoro and M. C. Schneider, "A 2-nW 1.1.-V self biased current reference in CMOS technology," IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 61-65, 2005

[14] E. Bolzan, E. B. Storck, M. C. Schneider and C. Galup-Montoro, "Design and testing of a CMOS SelfBiased Current Source," 2019 26th IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems (ICECS), pp. 382-385, 2019

conference paper reached 400 reads

Bucher, M., J-M. Sallese, F. Krummenacher, D. Kazazis, C. Lallement, W. Grabinski, and C. Enz

EKV 3.0: An analog design-oriented MOS transistor model

In 9th International Conference on Mixed Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems

(MIXDES 2002)

Abstract:  The EKV 3.0 compact MOS transistor model for advanced analog IC design and simulation is presented. The model is based on the surface potential approach combined with inversion charge linearization. The ideal long-channel model is coherent  for  static  and  dynamic  aspects  including  noise.  The  ideal  model  is  extended  for  high-field  effects  in  deep submicron CMOS technologies. Scalability over channel length and width is achieved while retaining a reduced number of parameters. The EKV 3.0 model is applicable over a large range of CMOS technologies.  

Fig: Normalized source transconductance to current ratio (gm/ID) vs. normalized current, measured 

(markers) in saturation from various CMOS technologies, and analytical model.

Circuit Design and Simulation Marathon using eSIM

 

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

We are happy to announce the first ever #Circuit #Design and #Simulation #Marathon using #eSim! This event is jointly organized by #FOSSEE and VLSI System Design. The FOSSEE project developed at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay is powered by MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.

To know more about the Circuit Design and Simulation Marathon, please visit https://hackathon.fossee.in/esim/

Important dates:
>> Registration: 21 May 2021 - 15 June 2021
>> Marathon Launch : 17 June 2021

[paper] Generalized Devices for SPICE Simulation of Soft Errors

Chiara Rossi, André Chatel and Jean-Michel Sallese*

Modeling Funneling Effect With Generalized Devices for SPICE Simulation of Soft Errors

in IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices,

doi: 10.1109/TED.2021.3076028 

* EPFL, 1015 Lausanne (CH)

Abstract: Recent advances in CMOS scaling have made circuits more and more sensitive to errors and dysfunction caused by ionizing radiation, even at ground level, requiring accurate modeling of such effects. Besides generation, transport, and collection of radiation-induced excess carriers, another phenomenon, called funneling, has to be modeled for an accurate prediction of soft errors. The funneling effect occurs when the radiation track crosses a space charge region and generates excess carriers with a density higher than the doping close to it. These carriers distort the electric field of the space charge region, deeply changing the transport mechanism, from diffusion in a field-free semiconductor to drift. The objective of this work is to include funneling as part of the generalized lumped devices model in order to obtain a complete tool for SPICE-compatible simulations of single-event effects (SEEs). The latter approach has been recently proposed to simulate radiation-induced charges in the silicon substrate and is based on the so-called generalized lumped devices that simulate charge generation, propagation, and collection using standard circuit simulators. The generalized devices are here extended to include funneling and used to simulate an alpha particle impinging on the bulk of nMOS and pMOS transistors. The results obtained are validated with TCAD numerical simulations. Finally, a static random-access memory (SRAM) struck by an alpha particle is analyzed. The model predicts that the occurrence of a soft error, i.e., flipping of memory state, may depend on whether or not there is funneling. This justifies the need for accurate modeling of funneling phenomena to predict SEEs in ICs.

FIG: Generalized devices network obtained for the pMOS substrate. The mesh is drawn in gray dashed lines. The network is not shown around the radiation track; only the mesh is reported, which is denser to linearize the generation profile and excess carrier gradients.

Aknowlwdgement: This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant 200021_165773.