OPEN SEMITECH

OFFERS FREE SEMICONDUCTORS FOR EVERYONE

We provide a free (as in freedom, not free of price) and open source semiconductor manufacturing process standard, complete with a mixed signal PDK, and deliver a rapid, easy, and cost-effective production solution. There will be no NDAs necessary to get started, so you may create the designs in your basement if you like. We intend to revolutionize the market by breaking the stranglehold of proprietary closed source manufacturers!

Innovative, Accessible, Reliable, Open, Secure

THE IDEA

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Opening the Market

Currently, SMEs, startups, and hobbyists face significant challenges in developing and commercializing their own ASICs. The silicon manufacturing landscape is dominated by a few large corporations that monopolize chip production, charging around $2,000 per prototype and imposing lengthy wait times before engineers can physically test their designs. Additionally, EDA tools required for chip design are prohibitively expensive for most emerging ventures. At Open Semitech, we are committed to revolutionizing this scenario by making ASIC development more accessible and affordable. Our approach aims to democratize chip manufacturing and design, enabling a broader range of innovators to bring their ideas to market efficiently and cost-effectively.

Auditable Chips: Addressing Security Concerns

With the introduction of technologies like the Intel Management Engine and the discovery of vulnerabilities such as Spectre and Meltdown, concerns about the security and trustworthiness of CPUs in our devices—ranging from computers to smartphones—have become more pronounced. At Open Semitech, we are tackling these issues head-on by offering a fully transparent process and technology node. Our approach allows for the publication of complete chip layouts, paving the way for entirely open CPU platforms. This transparency enables comprehensive security audits down to the transistor level, enhancing security assurance through rigorous peer review and eliminating the risk of hidden hardware backdoors. With our commitment to openness, we are setting a new standard for trust in chip security, ensuring that devices are free from covert vulnerabilities.

Global Reproducibility: Democratizing Semiconductor Manufacturing

To democratize the semiconductor market, it is essential to establish a standardized and open manufacturing process that facilitates the seamless exchange and verification of designs worldwide. Open Semitech is leading the charge by specifying target parameters for test structures necessary to support LibreSilicon technology. This approach enables the design and testing of any ASIC—whether CMOS or analog—in one location, such as Tokyo, with the ability to download the design from GitHub and manufacture it anywhere else globally. By making semiconductor design and production more accessible and reproducible, we are paving the way for a truly global and inclusive semiconductor ecosystem.

Open Semitech

The current landscape of free and open-source silicon is highly skewed, restricting SMEs, individual FOSHW developers, and hobbyists to FPGA-based solutions, with no viable options for analog, mixed-signal, or high-performance applications. "Open" chips are often controlled by their sponsors, limiting the advantages of their open-source nature. Additionally, big-tech corporations exploit open-source efforts for commercial gain without adequate compensation. Open Semitech aims to level the playing field by providing unfettered access to semiconductor manufacturing for smaller players, transforming "open-source silicon" into true Open Semitech.

Open Semitech: Vision and Mission

Vision

At Open Semitech, we envision a semiconductor industry where the barriers to entry are minimized, and advanced integrated circuit (IC) technology is as accessible as printed circuit boards (PCBs). Our vision is to create a landscape where:

**Universal Accessibility:
- IC Design as a Core Skill: Integrated circuit design is an essential skill for all electrical engineers. It is integrated into educational programs at all levels and widely accessible through open resources.
- Public Availability of Knowledge: Access to high-quality, free, and open-source electronic design automation (EDA) tools and Process Design Kits (PDKs) is available to everyone, enabling broad participation in IC design and development.
**Democratized Hardware Customization:
- Custom ICs for All: Designing and manufacturing custom CPUs and system-on-chips (SoCs) is not restricted to large corporations. Individuals, startups, small businesses, and hobbyists can create specialized integrated circuits tailored to their specific needs.
- Open Design Practices: Users can freely study, modify, and adapt digital and analog designs, ensuring that hardware is as customizable and transparent as software.
**Affordable and Flexible Manufacturing:
- Cost-Effective Production: Manufacturing unique ICs is affordable and accessible, even for low-volume production runs. This is facilitated by a network of global fabs that support a range of production scales and requirements.
- Barrier-Free Access: There are no minimum order quantities, restrictive non-disclosure agreements, or excessive legal requirements for ordering custom ICs. The process is as straightforward as ordering a PCB.
**Design Portability and Supply Chain Resilience:
- Open Technology Nodes: A diverse set of free and open technology nodes allows designs to be easily transferred between different fabs, enhancing design portability and supply chain security.
- Global Fabs Network: A geographically diverse network of independent manufacturing vendors ensures a competitive and resilient supply chain, preventing monopolization and promoting affordable access.

Mission

Our mission at Open Semitech is to drive the transformation of the semiconductor industry by addressing current limitations and fostering a more open, inclusive, and innovative ecosystem. We focus on the following key areas:

**Development of Open Technology Nodes:
- Comprehensive Technology Nodes: Develop and maintain a wide range of free and open technology nodes, including both digital and analog options. This includes creating manufacturing recipes, test structures, and libraries for logic, padring, and other essential components.
- PDK Support: Provide detailed documentation, characterization methodologies, and technical support to facilitate the use and adoption of these technology nodes across various applications and industries.
**Promoting Transparency and Customization:
- Open-Source Design Philosophy: Advocate for the use of open-source designs and tools, ensuring that hardware design is transparent and customizable. Encourage the development and sharing of high-quality open-source IP cores and analog blocks.
- Design Integration: Support the integration of digital cores into real chips, including non-digital components such as bonding pads, ESD protection, oscillators, and physical interface circuits.
**Innovation in Manufacturing Processes:
- Novel Business Models: Explore and implement new business models to support affordable and flexible semiconductor manufacturing. This includes optimizing manufacturing operations for both low and high-volume production.
- Maskless Lithography: Develop and support novel manufacturing equipment and techniques, such as maskless lithography, to enable cost-effective production across various scales.
**Education and Skill Development:
- Training and Resources: Provide educational resources and training to engineers, hobbyists, and students on IC design. Organize workshops, hackathons, and create educational materials to foster skill development.
- Mentorship and Support: Mentor emerging talent and support the growth of the open-source hardware community through active engagement and collaboration.
**Advancement of EDA Tools:
- Tool Development: Contribute to the development and enhancement of open-source EDA tools, ensuring they are capable, reliable, and user-friendly for practical work.
- Integration and Support: Integrate these tools with our technology nodes to provide a seamless design experience and support users in their design and manufacturing efforts.
**Building a Collaborative Ecosystem:
- Industry Collaboration: Collaborate with semiconductor fabs, open-source hardware communities, and academic institutions to drive the adoption and advancement of open-source silicon solutions.
- Unified Approach: Support and contribute to the efforts of others working towards similar goals, ensuring a unified approach to overcoming the Silicon Barrier and achieving industry-wide impact.

By pursuing these objectives, Open Semitech aims to create a semiconductor industry that is more inclusive, transparent, and innovative, empowering individuals and organizations worldwide to explore and develop cutting-edge integrated circuit technologies.

Standard Cell Library Generator

The Standard Cell Library Generator is a pivotal tool in modern chip design, aimed at automating the creation of comprehensive standard cell libraries. Standard cells are fundamental components used in the synthesis, placement, and routing of digital logic onto chips. During the synthesis phase, the tool selects appropriate standard cells to implement the logic. In the placement phase, these cells are arranged on a grid to optimize spatial efficiency, and during the routing phase, metal connections are established to facilitate power and signal transmission.

At LibreSilicon, our objective is to enhance design efficiency by expanding the variety of standard cells available. A broader range of cells allows synthesis engines to select from more options, leading to better-optimized designs. The StdCellLib generator project commenced in 2018, focusing on LS1U, Sky130, and GF180 processes. We have achieved successful tapeouts for the Sky130 process and prepared a 5V library for the GF180 process, though it has not yet been taped out.

Looking ahead, our future plans include the development of pad-cells, which are currently outside the scope of the project but will be addressed once the standard cell work is completed. The generator's design and implementation aim to streamline the chip design process, ultimately contributing to more efficient and effective integrated circuit production.

Test Structure Generator

Test Structures are used to create Test-Chips with various carefully designed test structures on them which can then be measured to see and model the actual behavior of the chip production process. This can be used during process development to bring up a new process node, it can also be used to be placed on every wafer for quality assurance during production. It can also be used to additionally characterize an existing process node for new applications like new chemical layers like e.g. Hafnium, …

The initial project was the manually designed Pearl River for 1um process:

Empowering Open Source Semiconductor Innovation

At Open Semitech, we develop a revolutionary open source semiconductor manufacturing standard, promoting accessibility, security, and global reproducibility without the need for restrictive NDAs.