“Introduction to Digital IC Design: From RTL to GDSII”

4 hrs

This introductory course provides a comprehensive overview of the digital integrated circuit (IC) design flow, guiding participants from Register Transfer Level (RTL) design to the generation of the final GDSII layout. Through a hands-on approach, students will learn the fundamental concepts and methodologies used in modern ASIC development, bridging the gap between hardware description and its physical realization. The course covers the complete open-source RTL-to-GDS workflow, structured through the following toolchain: Digital Design & Verification, Logic Synthesis, and Physical Design & Layout.

All laboratory exercises are based on 100% open-source tools, enabling participants to gain practical, reproducible experience without requiring commercial software licenses. By the end of the course, students will understand how abstract digital logic is transformed into the geometric patterns and material layers that define a physical microelectronic device.