GF180MCU PDK Setup for Klayout

Prerequisites

At a minimum:

• python 3.10+
• python3-venv
• klayout 0.29.11+

Installation

To begin, create a new directory that will contain all gf180mcu setup files and environment configurations:

mkdir gf180mcu_setup && cd gf180mcu_setup/

Next, clone the project into the current directory you have created:

git clone https://github.com/mabrains/gf180mcu_setup_pdk.git

Afterward, you will need to create a python virtual environment:

python3 -m venv ./gf180mcu_env && source ./gf180mcu_env/bin/activate

And then:

cd gf180mcu_setup_pdk

Subsequently, to install the required Python packages, execute the following command:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Note: This project uses an older version of gdsfactory to remain compatible with the custom PCells developed for the GF180MCU PDK.

If you don't have the PDK already installed, you will need to define the following environment variables and run the installation script as explained:

- PDK_ROOT: the directory where the PDKs will be installed.
- PDK: the desired PDK variant from the supported list.

To do that, you need to run the following:

export PDK_ROOT=$HOME/pdks  
export PDK=gf180mcuC  
chmod +x install_pdk.sh  
./install_pdk.sh

If you already have the PDK installed, you can skip the step above, but make sure your KLayout tech directory follows the structure below:

$PDK_ROOT/$PDK$/libs.tech/klayout
├── drc
├── lvs
└── tech
    ├── drc
    ├── gf180mcu.lyp
    ├── gf180mcu.lyt
    ├── gf180mcu.map
    ├── lvs
    ├── macros
    │   ├── drc_options.yml
    │   ├── gf180mcu_drc.lydrc
    │   ├── gf180mcu_lvs.lylvs
    │   ├── gf180mcu_options.lym
    │   ├── lvs_options.yml
    │   └── run_drc_main
    └── pymacros
        ├── cells
        └── gf180mcu.lym

Lastly, to install the GF180MCU PDK for the KLayout tool, execute the following command:

Make sure that the tech path exists at $PDK_ROOT/$PDK/libs.tech/klayout/ and that both $PDK_ROOT and $PDK are defined correctly.

python3 setup_klayout.py --tech_path=$PDK_ROOT/$PDK/libs.tech/klayout/ --klayout_home=$PWD/../gf180mcu_klayout --python_env=$PWD/../gf180mcu_env/

This will install the GF180MCU PDK technology in the KLayout tool. You can then open it by executing the following command:

This script will create a symbolic link to the KLayout tech, It also sets up the Python environment path and adds a klayout_gf180mcu alias to your shell configuration. You need to open a new terminal after running the script for the alias to take effect.

You can then open KLayout using:

klayout_gf180mcu

Or open a pre-existing layout, you can use the following command:

klayout_gf180mcu <your_layout_file>

Example:

klayout_gf180mcu test_example/nfet_03v3.gds

You will observe that the PDK has been added to KLayout, as illustrated in Figure 1.

Fig. 1. Klayout GF180MCU-PDK Loaded

About Mabrains

Mabrains was founded to achieve the main purpose to change the world of Chip Design using AI. Empowering the world with a new methodologies and techniques that would disrupt the status quo in the EDA industry.

We have contributed in developing many PDKs for Open Source Tools. For more information, please refer to Mabrains-Github.

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