A Methodology for Process Design Kit Re-Centering Using TCAD and Experimental Data for Cryogenic Temperatures

TL;DR

This paper introduces a TCAD-based methodology to adapt room-temperature Process Design Kits for cryogenic temperatures using limited experimental data, enabling accurate and scalable cryogenic circuit design.

Contribution

A novel, scalable TCAD-driven approach for re-centering PDKs at cryogenic temperatures using minimal experimental data, without needing dedicated foundry support.

Findings

Effective calibration of TCAD models at cryogenic temperatures.

Accurate modeling of process corners without dedicated foundry data.

Scalable, technology-independent methodology for cryogenic PDK adaptation.

Abstract

In this work, we describe and demonstrate a novel Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) driven methodology to re-center room-temperature Process Design Kits (PDKs) for cryogenic operation using a limited set of experimental measurements. Unlike previous approaches that relied on direct fitting of sparse measurements, our technique accounts for process-induced deviations by calibrating TCAD models to both room-temperature and cryogenic data. Compact models for all process corners are extracted from TCAD-generated target characteristics, enabling accurate cryogenic modeling without dedicated foundry support. This scalable, technology-independent method provides a practical path for cryogenic circuit design.