Imec launches the first design pathfinding process design kit for N2 node

The design pathfinding PDK lowers the threshold for academia and industry to access the most advanced semiconductor technologies

LEUVEN (Belgium), FEBRUARY 19, 2024 — This week, at the 2024 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, launches its open process design kit (PDK) with a concomitant training program offered through EUROPRACTICE. The PDK will enable virtual digital designs in imec’s N2 technology, including backside power delivery network. The PDK will be embedded in EDA tool suites, such as from Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys, providing broad access to advanced nodes for design pathfinding, system research and training. This will give academia and industry the tools to train the semiconductor experts of tomorrow and enable the industry to transition their products into next generations technologies through meaningful design pathfinding.

Foundry PDKs give chip designers access to a library of tested and proven components to deliver functional and reliable designs. These are usually available to the ecosystem once the technology reaches a critical level of manufacturability. However, restricted access and the need for NDAs have created a high threshold for academia and industry to access advanced technology nodes during their development. Access to imec N2 PDK will help both academia and commercial companies: “If we want to engage a new generation of chip designers, we must provide them early access to the infrastructure needed to develop their design skills on the most advanced technology nodes. The accompanying training courses will get these designers up to speed as quickly as possible and acquaint them with the most recent technology disruptions such as nanosheet devices and wafer backside technology. The design pathfinding PDK will also help companies to transition their designs to future technology nodes and pre-empt scaling bottlenecks for their products.” says Julien Ryckaert, VP Logic Technologies.

The design pathfinding PDK contains the necessary infrastructure for digital design based on a set of digital standard cell libraries and SRAM IP macros. In the future, the design pathfinding PDK platform will extend to more advanced nodes (e.g. A14). The training program will start early Q2, teaching subscribers the specificities of the N2 technology node and offering hands-on training on digital design platforms using the Cadence and the Synopsys EDA software.

“Nurturing an engineering workforce that is equipped with the necessary technology to develop transformational products is critical to the semiconductor industry,” said Brandon Wang, vice president, technical strategy & strategic partnerships at Synopsys. “Imec’s design pathfinding PDK is an excellent example of how industry partnerships can broaden access to advanced process technology for the current and next generation of designers to accelerate their semiconductor innovation. Our collaboration with imec to deliver a certified, AI-driven EDA digital design flow for its N2 PDK enables design teams to prototype and accelerate the transition to next-generation technologies using a virtual PDK-based design environment.”

“Cadence is committed to working with universities and research institutions to drive innovation and support workforce development for the nano- and microelectronics industry,” said Yoon Kim, VP Cadence Academic Network. “Cadence and imec have a long history of successful collaboration on multiple projects, and the new imec design pathfinding PDK represents a major new milestone for training the next generation of silicon designers. Imec used all the tools in Cadence’s industry leading AI-driven digital and custom / analog full flows to create and validate the Open PDK, ensuring academia and industry partners have access to a complete Cadence flow at the most advanced nodes, enabling them to transition to the next generation of designs seamlessly.”