Digitization of tape-out activities

The imec IC.link group is going through a large digitization process. Many aspects of the organization and work are already being supported by new flows and tools, but this is an ongoing project that will last for a few years. The tape-out team is the core of the imec IC.link business and we have been the initiator of many ideas and implementations.
 
A large step forward will be our customer portal. This project has been kicked off and will continue for a few years before we get it to the level we want to have it. An important aspect of this portal is the integration of different modules specific to tape-out which should enrich the customer experience. These modules are developed within the team and will be integrated into the portal as is or reimplemented to match the portal requirements. To speed up this process we could greatly benefit from the help of somebody with more programming skills. Projects we have currently defined are:
 

Design delivery tool + Auto DRC

Our customers deliver their design files through FTP. The requirements for their designs are collected using an MS Word form. We want to modernize this:

• Collect requirements by interviewing the team.
• Create online design delivery forms for all technologies.
• Improve the backend so we can automatically create a design rule check (DRC) setup file for the customer design.
• Create a database to log the DRC and store the results.
• Generate customer feedback from the result database.

TSMC reservations

Per year we handle more than 150 TSMC multi-wafer projects. The reservation process became very difficult due to the silicon wafer shortage during Covid. To be able to follow up this process we already created a few tools, but these need a better and more user-friendly integration:

• Expand the current tool so it can collect data from TSMC reservations from the TSMC website.
• Convert SharePoint list data to a different database.
• Improve the current reservation tool.
  • Make sure it is a more integrated system. Currently, the solution consists of MS Forms + Power Automate + SharePoint list + Excel + Python. Maintaining the data should require minimum manual work.
  • Implement continuous automatic reservation creation on the TSMC website (manual approval still required from tape out team).

Create smaller Power Automate automations

We use Power Automate to automate small repetitive tasks within the team. We have many ideas that we want to see realized. Other might require a full rework:

• Auto reply on EP mails
• Auto kick-off mails for mini@sics
• Cleaning up of large, shared mailboxes
•  ...

DRC in cloud

To be able to expand our business in the US, we will need to be able to run our flows (several UNIX scripts) in the cloud:

• A first setup of these flows needs to be done to evaluate resource needs.
• A study needs to be conducted to see if there are any modifications needed to run the full flow.

Language requirements: English 

Type of Project: Internship 

Bachelor's program/required background: Computer Science or equivalent (Python is important)

For more information or application, please contact Tobias Vanderhenst (tobias.vanderhenst@imec.be)