Open Skywater130nm PDK-based IP Development Platform: A PWM Peripheral Case Study

The ongoing chip shortage and the increasing demand for skilled workers in the industry have spurred the initiative to create and popularize Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) open-source tools. In this article, the development of a digital design flow using the Skywater 130nm open Process Design Kit (PDK) will be illustrated. To validate this process, the step-by-step creation of a PWM peripheral incorporating deadband generation and synchronized signals with different phases will be undertaken. In the final stage, a thorough comparison will be made between the results obtained through FPGA and ASIC synthesis. The PWM peripheral ASIC implementation will be realized with only open source tools, suited for the Sky130 PDK, as part of the fourth installment of the Tiny Tapeout project.