The Open Electronics Lab invites students to gain their first hands-on experience in the design and fabrication of integrated circuits during their spare time. Thanks to the Tiny Tapeout platform, it is now possible to implement individual chip designs cost-effectively using open-source PDKs and tools.
As part of this research internship, a simple analog circuit will be designed at schematic level, then laid out, and finally submitted for fabrication. The project uses the open-source IC design toolchain already established at the institute. In addition, the entire design workflow for using the Tiny Tapeout platform will be documented and evaluated.
Research Questions
- What challenges arise when using the open-source toolchain?
- Which parts of the flow can be simplified or improved?
- What typical problems occur during analog layout?
- How can analog cells be prepared DRC- and LVS-clean for fabrication?
Objectives
- Documentation of a complete analog design workflow for an MPW run on Tiny Tapeout
- Design and layout of a simple analog circuit (e.g., op-amp, bandgap reference, comparator, etc.)
Work Packages
- System & Specification
- Definition of design goals and performance metrics
- Circuit Simulation
- Qucs-S / Ngspice / Xyce: DC, AC, noise, transient, and stability analyses (optional HB/S-parameters)
- Layout
- KLayout or gdsfactory (parametric cells), including PEX and DRC/LVS verification
Your Skills
(Not all of the following are required.)
- General:
- Good academic performance (overall grade better than 2.0)
- Interest in hands-on work with new tools and technologies
- Major in Electrical Engineering, Microelectronics, or a related field
- Programming & EDA:
- Solid Python skills (NumPy, Pandas, SciPy; ideally scikit-rf)
- Basic experience with Linux and reproducible workflows
- Experience with Cadence is a plus
- Analog Design:
- Basic knowledge of circuit theory, large-signal and small-signal analysis
- Attendance of one of the following courses: ISF, LBE, SIA, or ADU
- Practical & Motivation:
- Enjoy hands-on experimentation and tinkering
- Preferably prior PCB design experience and motivation for IC design