SPICE is a general-purpose, open-source analog electronic circuit simulator. It stands for Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis. ngspice is a successor, and is easily installable on Linux. It’s the simulator I’ve used to explore the Skywater 130 PDK.

Here’s an example spice simulation file that I used to simulate the inverter I drew.

And here’s a nice demo of me showing how a flip-flop works by simulating a Sky130 D type flip flop with SPICE.

Course feedback

The Zero To ASIC course took me on a fantastic journey from drawing and simulating a MOSFET, formal verification leading up to implementing a custom design with an open PDK and completely open source tools. The course is crammed full of interesting material with great pacing and support from Matt, and it's been a fantastic opportunity to meet other folks with shared interests and different backgrounds. The course has left me excited with opportunities for new projects and optimism for some working silicon!

Jamie Iles (digital course)