Teaching Integrated Circuit Design with Open Source Electronic Design Automation Tools and Open Process Design Kits

P. Mierzwiński, B. Dec (Warsaw Univ. of Techn., Poland)

This extended abstract presents the introduction of a course on integrated circuit design with open-source electronic design automation tools and open process design kits. The aim is to connect theoretical knowledge of semiconductor devices, digital and analog circuits, and physical implementation into a transparent design flow that students can reproduce beyond a closed laboratory environment. The method combines lectures, guided laboratories and repository-based exercises covering requirements definition, hardware description, simulation, synthesis, physical design, verification, and basic full-custom work. The first implementation used a controlled Linux environment, a digital flow based on Verilog, Verilator, Yosys and LibreLane, and selected analog exercises based on open process design kit resources and full-custom verification. The main result was the identification of open-source tools as a useful educational complement to commercial electronic design automation environments: they support independent practice, expose intermediate files and reports, and make iterative debugging visible. The experience also revealed limitations, especially the configuration complexity of analog tools and the need for prepared images, diagnostic scripts and reference projects. The work concludes that open-source design flows can strengthen practical microelectronics education when introduced as reproducible, carefully scoped laboratory projects.