OpenSerDes: An Open Source Process-Portable All-Digital Serial Link
Gaurav Kumar K, Baibhab Chatterjee, Shreyas Sen

TL;DR
This paper introduces the first open source, process-portable all-digital SerDes designed with Skywater's open PDK, enabling multi-GHz serial links with open hardware and software tools for ASIC design.
Contribution
It presents an all-digital SerDes design compatible with open source PDKs, demonstrating high-speed operation and public availability for ASIC development.
Findings
Operates at 2 Gbps with 34 dB channel loss
Consumes 438 mW power
GDS and netlist are publicly available on GitHub
Abstract
In the last decade, the growing influence of open source software has necessitated the need to reduce the abstraction levels in hardware design. Open source hardware significantly reduces the development time, increasing the probability of first-pass success and enable developers to optimize software solutions based on hardware features, thereby reducing the design costs. The recent introduction of open source Process Development Kit (OpenPDK) by Skywater technologies in June 2020 has eliminated the barriers to Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) design, which is otherwise considered expensive and not easily accessible. The OpenPDK is the first concrete step towards achieving the goal of open source circuit blocks that can be imported to reuse and modify in ASIC design. With process technologies scaling down for better performance, the need for entirely digital designs, which…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAdvancements in PLL and VCO Technologies · Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit Design · Advanced Data Storage Technologies
