Process design kit

<h2 id="description">Description</h2>
<p>Different tools in the design flow have different input formats for the PDK data. The PDK engineers have to decide which tools they will support in the design flows and create the libraries and rule sets which support those flows. 
</p><p>A typical PDK contains:
</p>
<ul><li>A primitive device library
<ul><li>Symbols</li>
<li>Device parameters</li>
<li><a href="/facts/PCell/Ra1jtzKs">PCells</a></li></ul></li>
<li>Verification checks
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Design_rule_checking/GW7N249M">Design Rule Checking</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Layout_Versus_Schematic/egycHE1C">Layout Versus Schematic</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Physical_verification/F9rKa9RM">Antenna and Electrical rule check</a></li>
<li>Physical Extraction</li></ul></li>
<li>Technology data
<ul><li>Layers, layer names, layer/purpose pairs</li>
<li>Colors, fills and display attributes</li>
<li>Process constraints</li>
<li>Electrical rules</li></ul></li>
<li>Rule files
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Library_Exchange_Format/TD4NTlRd">LEF</a></li>
<li>Tool dependent rule formats</li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Simulation_modeling/XdVtWVsU">Simulation models</a> of primitive devices (SPICE or SPICE derivatives)
<ul><li>Transistors (typically <a href="/facts/SPICE/mIMfxvm7">SPICE</a>)</li>
<li>Capacitors</li>
<li>Resistors</li>
<li>Inductors</li></ul></li>
<li>Design Rule Manual
<ul><li>A user friendly representation of the process requirements</li></ul></li></ul>
<p>A PDK may also include standard cell libraries from the foundry, a library vendor or developed internally
</p>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Library_Exchange_Format/TD4NTlRd">LEF</a> format of abstracted layout data</li>
<li>Symbols</li>
<li>Library (.lib) files</li>
<li><a href="/facts/GDSII/J5GovB08">GDSII</a> layout data</li></ul>

<h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2>
<ul><li>Yu Cao, "Predictive process design kits", ch. 8 in, <i>Predictive Technology Model for Robust Nanoelectronic Design</i>, Springer Science & Business Media, 2011 <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1461404452.</li>
<li>Lukas Chrostowski, Michael Hochberg, "Process design kit (PDK)", section 10.1 in, <i>Silicon Photonics Design</i>, Cambridge University Press, 2015 <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1107085454.</li>
<li>Michael Liehr <i>et al.</i>, "Silicon photonics integrated circuit process design kit", section 4.8 in, Alan Willner (ed), <i>Optical Fiber Telecommunications</i>, vol. 11, Elsevier, 2019 <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0128165022.</li>
<li>Ian Robertson, Nutapong Somjit, Mitchai Chongcheawchamnan, "Process design kits for RFIC and MMIC design", section 17.8.1 in, <i>Microwave and Millimetre-Wave Design for Wireless Communications</i>, John Wiley & Sons, 2016 <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1118917219.</li></ul>

Process design kit open-in-new

Process design kit