Third Party Funds Group - Overall project
Acronym: DI-PASSIONATE
Start date : 01.05.2024
End date : 30.04.2027
Miniaturized mechatronic and autonomous systems, such as automotive control units, electronic medical devices or wearables, integrate a large number of different functional submodules and require increasing networking, a compact form factor and decentralized signal processing, e.g. through artificial intelligence. This requires the co-integration of many monolithic integrated circuits in a highly complex package, taking into account thermal, electromagnetic and geometric boundary conditions, as well as global optimization of partitioning at the functional level.
The aim of the “PASSIONATE” research project is therefore to develop a free 3D design environment for packages and systems-in-package. The project thus complements other projects for the development of open-source tools for the design of integrated circuits by adding an environment for modeling spatial geometries and methods for simulating multiphysical, in particular thermal and electromagnetic properties. This closes a significant gap between open-source tools at chip level and open-source PCB software in order to cover the entire value chain with free tools. The basis of the new 3D design and simulation environment is a spatially oriented computer-aided design (3D-MCAD) system, which is extended by interfaces to the upstream chip design toolchain (system, logic and circuit development) and the import of geometries. Among other things, this enables feature-based, parametric modeling of various assembly and connection technologies.
The quality of the designed tool and the simulation techniques is validated by comparison with commercial software and finally by the realization of two physical demonstrators with a focus on high-frequency technology and digital system design.
Miniaturized mechatronic and autonomous systems, such as automotive control units, electronic medical devices or wearables, integrate a large number of different functional submodules and require increasing networking, a compact form factor and decentralized signal processing, e.g. through artificial intelligence. This requires the co-integration of many monolithic integrated circuits in a highly complex package, taking into account thermal, electromagnetic and geometric boundary conditions, as well as global optimization of partitioning at the functional level.
The aim of the “PASSIONATE” research project is therefore to develop a free 3D design environment for packages and systems-in-package. The project thus complements other projects for the development of open-source tools for the design of integrated circuits by adding an environment for modeling spatial geometries and methods for simulating multiphysical, in particular thermal and electromagnetic properties. This closes a significant gap between open-source tools at chip level and open-source PCB software in order to cover the entire value chain with free tools. The basis of the new 3D design and simulation environment is a spatially oriented computer-aided design (3D-MCAD) system, which is extended by interfaces to the upstream chip design toolchain (system, logic and circuit development) and the import of geometries. Among other things, this enables feature-based, parametric modeling of various assembly and connection technologies.
The quality of the designed tool and the simulation techniques is validated by comparison with commercial software and finally by the realization of two physical demonstrators with a focus on high-frequency technology and digital system design.