Matt Venn demonstrates how to go from zero to ASIC during this workshop held live during the 2020 Hackaday Remoticon. It gives you a good overview and basic grasp of the terminology and processes involved.
The demo shows the current capabilities of the Open Source tools and the Open Google/Skywater Process Design Kit (PDK) and free ASIC service (shuttle).Start from a simple digital design on paper and follow the process used to create the pattern files needed by the factory to build the ASIC. Synthesis of the hardware description language into basic digital building blocks like NAND gates and flip-flops.
About the instructor: Matt Venn has been doing some combination of electronics and teaching for most of his life. Most of the work is on the science communication spectrum; some is pretty straight electronic engineering and some is explaining concepts on youtube. A few years ago, he got into FPGAs, and more so after the Open Source flow was released. The recent Open Google/Skywater PDK and free shuttle announcement has now created the possibility to see one of his designs on a chip!
Disclaimer: I am not an expert and have yet to tape out my first chip. I have spoken to and received advice from a number of experts and applied to the first Google/Skywater shuttle in November.
Read the article on Hackaday:
hackaday.com/?p=453979
Slides for this talk:
docs.google.com/presentation/...
Learn more on the Zero to ASIC Page:
www.zerotoasiccourse.com/
Music by Rich Hogben