Electronic design automation requirements for R2R printing foundry

Abstract

Roll-to-roll (R2R) printed electronic devices have been in the spotlight over the decades as a potential replacement for Si-based semiconductors, research into this technology is still being actively conducted over the world. These printed electronic devices can be used in a variety of applications, so the demand for them is expected to reach over USD 20.7 billion in 2025 given a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.5%. As the new ink materials and printing technologies being researched are commercialized, foundry companies that produce printed electronics need to provide appropriate work flow that will allow engineers to design these kind of circuits using commercial electronic design automation (EDA) tools. This review paper describes the key parameters that should be found process design kit (PDK), including the contained design rules and the simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis model. We cover the factors that need to be considered when a fabless company develops circuits for the R2R process, including the design methodology from the beginning of the design to the final graphic data stream (GDS) completion stage, we also discuss other essential technological hurdles that must be overcome in this process. The overall process of design and analysis for printed electronic technique is based on the silicon design flow. We describe the full custom design flow for analog integrated circuits (ICs) and explain how the automatic placement and routing based design of digital integrated circuits can be carried out. In addition, the necessity of sign-off verification using post-simulation, electromagnetic (EM) simulation and bias check simulation required for commercial product development will be explained. The development of PDKs and EDA tools for circuit design in the R2R printed electronics foundry industry will have a potentially tremendous impact on the semiconductor ecosystem by lowering the barriers to producing these devices.