Date: 03/21/2025
About this Forum:
Participants were guided through various coding exercises, focusing on caching, schematic creation, and component manipulation, and the process of correcting errors from the DRC was explained. The importance of creating custom components and rules for fabrication was emphasized, and the process design kit and its components were discussed, along with the importance of a schematic in the design process.
The Rodgers RLE Forum is a time to appreciate and learn from examples of impactful engineering. The laboratory hosts these opportunities for engagement in support of its mission to serve as a cutting-edge hub for advancing and sharing knowledge and best practices in high-performance prototyping.
About the presenters:
Joaquin Matres is a seasoned chip designer with 15 years of experience developing advanced silicon solutions at Intel, Hewlett Packard Labs, PsiQuantum, and Google X. Passionate about leveraging Python for chip design, he founded gdsfactory in 2019—an open-source platform that has transformed chip production workflows, with over 2 million downloads to date.
He collaborates with Google’s Build Your Own Silicon program, working to establish an open-source chip design ecosystem similar to TensorFlow’s impact in machine learning. Committed to innovation and accessibility in silicon design, he strives to push the boundaries of technology while fostering a collaborative, open environment for the next generation of chip designers.
To support enterprise adoption, he also founded GDSFactory+, providing industry-level support for GDSFactory, including foundry PDK access, schematic capture, simulations, and verification (DRC, LVS). To learn more visit GDSFactory.com
GDS Factory is a software framework designed for the automated design, layout, and verification of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and semiconductor devices. It provides an open-source, Python-based environment for developing parametric geometries, integrating electronic-photonic design automation (EPDA) workflows, and generating GDSII files for fabrication. GDS Factory is widely used in academia, research institutions, and industry for rapid prototyping and scalable design automation.
Key Areas of Focus:
Parametric Design Automation:
GDS Factory enables users to create fully parametric layouts using Python, allowing for the easy generation, modification, and optimization of photonic and electronic device geometries. This feature is essential for iterative design processes and large-scale chip development.
Integrated Photonics and Semiconductor Design:
The framework is optimized for photonic circuit design, supporting components such as waveguides, grating couplers, modulators, and photodetectors. It also integrates with electronic circuit design tools, facilitating co-design workflows for optoelectronic and quantum computing applications.
GDSII File Generation and Export:
GDS Factory automates the generation of GDSII files, the industry-standard format for lithographic mask design. It ensures consistency and precision in layouts, streamlining the transition from design to fabrication.
Design Rule Checking (DRC) and Verification:
The platform supports built-in design rule checking (DRC) and layout-versus-schematic (LVS) verification to ensure manufacturability and compliance with foundry process design kits (PDKs). This helps designers prevent fabrication errors early in the design cycle.
Interoperability with EPDA Tools:
GDS Factory integrates with a variety of electronic-photonic design automation (EPDA) tools, including KLayout, SiEPIC, Lumerical, Ansys, and other simulation software. This allows for streamlined workflows from initial design to physical verification and performance simulation.
Open-Source and Customizable:
As an open-source tool, GDS Factory is highly customizable, allowing users to extend its capabilities and adapt it to specific research or commercial needs. It provides APIs for scripting, automation, and cloud-based workflows, making it a flexible solution for advanced photonic design.