What is a Process Design Kit (PDK) & How Does it Work?

Full announcement (unchanged)

What is a Process Design Kit (PDK) & How Does it Work? | Synopsys Synopsys Ansys Glossary What is a Process Design Kit (PDK)? • Language • English • 日本語 • 简体中文 • 繁體中文 • 한국어 Ask Why Synopsys Solutions Products Support & Training Resources Language Selector Ask Search Synopsys.com Contact Sales Contact Sales ansys.com Synopsys and Ansys power the future of innovation—connecting silicon to systems. Search Synopsys Cancel Popular Content Multiphysics Fusion Technology for Multi-Die Designs Explained Unified multiphysics fusion helps multi-die teams validate earlier and sign off faster. Automotive Executive Guide: Rethinking Automotive Development A guide to virtualization in software-defined vehicles for automotive leaders. Mastering AI Chip Complexity This eBook explores AI chip design trends, challenges, and strategies for first-pass silicon success. Our Company About Us Careers Ecosystem Partners Global Offices Investors Leadership Responsible Business × Why Synopsys? Our Technology, Your Innovation™. Trusted industry leader. Industry AI Infrastructure​ Physical AI Automotive Aerospace & Government Edge AI Data Center Mobile Technology Artificial Intelligence Cloud Electronics Digital Twins Multiphysics Fusion Energy-Efficient SoCs Multi-Die Design Photonics & Optics Multiphysics Fusion Technology for Multi-Die Designs Explained Unified multiphysics fusion helps multi-die teams validate earlier and sign off faster. Download eBook By Function Analog Design Digital Design Design for Test Verification Virtual Prototyping Hardware Assisted Verification Signoff Silicon Lifecycle Management Manufacturing SoC Integration Synopsys.ai AI-enabled EDA Design, Automation, Insights AI-powered Optimization Design, Verification, Test, Analog AI-powered Analytics Design, Process Control, Production GenAI 24/7 Expert Copilot Agentic AI Multi-Agent Workflows EDA Fusion Compiler Synthesis & Implementation Custom Compiler Analog & Custom IC Design 3DIC Compiler Multi-die Design PrimeTime Design Signoff VCS Logic Simulation TestMAX IC Test IC Validator Physical Verification RedHawk-SC Digital Power Integrity Signoff System Platform Architect SoC Architecture Exploration ZeBu IC Emulation HAPS IC Prototyping Virtualizer Virtual Prototyping Synplify Complete FPGA Flow Multiphysics 3DIC Package Analysis HFSS EM Analysis Icepak Thermal Analysis IP Interface IP PCIe, DDR, MIPI, USB... Foundation IP Logic, Memory, IO... Security IP RoT, Cryptography... SoC Infrastructure IP AMBA, Foundation, VIP... IP by Markets Automotive, HPC, Edge AI SLM IP In-Chip Monitor IP Verification IP AMBA, Ethernet, MIPI... SMS IP STAR Memory System IP SolvNetPlus SolvNetPlus gives instant access to docs, downloads, training, and self-help support resources online. Training & Education Synopsys provides training delivered by subject matter experts, offering both public and private courses. Learn Blogs Events Glossary Success Stories Technical Articles Webinars White Papers & Docs Synopsys Converge SNUG SNUG Silicon Valley SNUG Proceedings Simulation World Language English 日本語 简体中文 繁體中文 한국어 Contact Sales ansys.com Synopsys and Ansys power the future of innovation—connecting silicon to systems. What is a Process Design Kit? Synopsys Editorial Staff Feb 15, 2024 / Table of Contents Definition How Does a Process Design Kit Work, and Why is it so Important? Where Do Process Design Kits Fit in the Design Process? Definition A Process Design Kit (PDK) is a library of basic photonic components generated by the foundry to give open access to their generic process for fabrication. Designers can design a wide variety of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) using the photonic components of the foundry, which are technically and geometrically represented in their Process Design Kits. A PDK can be compared to a set of building blocks, where each photonic component in the library is a separate block. A designer can use these blocks to build many types of photonic circuits for various applications. A generic technology is useful for reducing costs when the designer is using predefined, tested photonic components on the material platform of their choice. A designer can also create his or her own building blocks, but the designer must follow the fabrication rules of the foundry to be able to use a custom component from a particular foundry. Among others, the rules usually include: • Material stack (types of layers and thickness) • Minimum distance between optical components (like gaps between waveguides) • Maximum etching depths • Metallization and electrical probes (how to place the metal, metal layers allowed) • Feature size (size of waveguides, holes, active areas, etc.) Photonic PDKs enable circuit and system level simulation, which is a critical part of the PIC design process. The accuracy of simulation is contingent on the capability of the compact model library (CML) provided by the foundry as part of their process design kit. Foundry CMLs need to be calibrated against measurement data and capable of accurately modeling the behavior of the fabricated intrinsic photonic components and circuits. Figure 1. Integrated photonic ecosystem with the process design kit (PDK) at its center. PDK stores information about process, schematic symbols, layout cells, design rules, compact photonic models, and other information. The inputs required to create a PDK are experimental and simulation results and process and technology information. In turn, engineers use PDK to reliably simulate photonic integrated circuits and systems. How Does a Process Design Kit Work, and Why is it So Important? In photonics, the basic building blocks in a PDK are waveguides, phase shifters, active sections (semiconductor optical amplifiers or SOAs and lasers), and rotators (polarizers). These resemble the basic components in electronics, which are wires/resistors, inductors, capacitors, and transistors, shown in the following figure. To model a photonic component, you need to consider material and optical properties. At the device level, these properties are usually: • The refractive index of the material stack versus the wavelength, represented by the real and imaginary part of it (also known as optical performance) • Values of pre-characterized components or validated components • Analytical models to predict the performance (when real data are not available) The material and optical properties for the photonic component can be represented as a building block by the S-matrix; the S-matrix describes the signal transfer between the ports of the component from the device level to the circuit/layout level to simulate the PIC. These building blocks are represented as white and black boxes. The black box is represented by a geometric shape, usually a rectangle with input and output ports, and it contains linear and non-linear models (or values from pre-characterized components) that represent the performance of the component; they are called black boxes because the designer can see only the input and output ports, while the foundry owns the relevant information of the component for fabrication. This information is loaded into the white box component when the foundry is assembling the mask (putting together all the photonic integrated circuit layout designs in the wafer) for fabrication. White and black boxes protect the foundry’s intellectual property because its process flow (masks, layers, and materials) cannot be seen by the designer. Foundries use different material platforms, such as silicon photonics, InP, LiNbO3, polymer, and glass. Each material platform and foundry has (up to now) its own process flow or fabrication process which, based on the material and optical properties, determines the performance of the PICs at the physical level. Designing a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is not straight forward; its performance is linked to material and optical properties, which in turn are linked to geometrical shapes (light travels more or less efficiently in different geometries). The ability to design an efficient PIC comes with experience. There is a vast library of examples and papers that describe performance and design properties to help improve PIC designs. The following figure shows how a designer can create a very complex integrated circuit with hundreds of components from the basic and composite building blocks of a PDK. The layout shown on the right is a MDM (Mode Division Multiplexer). For foundry-independent custom components, see the Custom Library & Design Kit article Where Do Process Design Kits Fit in the Design Process? Process design kits need to be integrated into the design flow when designing PICs. Synopsys’ OptSim from the Photonic Solutions portfolio enables both PDK-driven and custom design, and it supports the widest portfolio of foundries offering Multi Project Wafer (MPW) Run access. With OptSim, you can use the industry’s best electrical circuit simulators in conjunction with the most comprehensive photonic circuit simulator on the respective portions of the same chip within the familiar OptoCompiler platform. Synopsys Photonic Solutions supports Photonic IC foundries in the industry, with PDKs for photonic processes such as silicon, silicon nitride, indium phosphide, polymers, and silica-on-glass. We support all technologies: • Silicon photonics • InP/III-V • TriPleX • SiO2/SiN technologies, including polymers, silica and more Continue Reading / Nov 04, 2026 Q&A: What Real-World Projects Reveal About Multi-Die Design By Greg Sorber Multi-Die , Engineering Central , Design , About Synopsys , Multiphysics Fusion , Photonic , Optical / Oct 29, 2026 Q&A: Bringing Co-Packaged Optics to AI Infrastructure By Greg Sorber Multi-Die , Data Center , AI & Machine Learning , Design , About Synopsys , Photonic , HPC, Data Center , Optical / Oct 27, 2026 Architecting AI Factories: What the Next AI Stack Makes Possible (Part 4 of 4) By Neeraj Paliwal Executive Voices , AI & Machine Learning , Design , About Synopsys , Interface IP , Interface IP Subsystems , HPC, Data Center , Silicon IP / Oct 22, 2026 Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi on Autonomous Engineering, Physical AI, and the Pace of Change By Greg Sorber Executive Voices , AI & Machine Learning , Design , About Synopsys , Verification / Oct 20, 2026 Architecting AI Factories: Compute Only Scales When Data Can Move (Part 3 of 4) By Charlie Matar Executive Voices , AI & Machine Learning , Design , About Synopsys , Interface IP , Interface IP Subsystems , HPC, Data Center , Silicon IP / Oct 13, 2026 Architecting AI Factories: Designing AI Systems at Rack Scale (Part 2 of 4) By Charlie Matar Executive Voices , AI & Machine Learning , Design , About Synopsys , Interface IP , Interface IP Subsystems , HPC, Data Center , Silicon IP / Oct 08, 2026 Physical AI Is Moving from Lab to Market By Sumit Vishwakarma Customer Spotlight , AI & Machine Learning , Simulation , Design , About Synopsys , Verification