Conure

Passive Device Artwork Generator, Modeling & Optimization

Conure is a versatile toolkit for designing, simulating, modeling, and optimizing RFCMOS integrated inductors. It seamlessly integrates artwork generation, EM simulation, surrogate modeling with Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and multi-objective optimization using NSGA-II. Currently, it supports the Cadence EMX simulator, with plans to add OpenEMS.

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🚀 Features

🎨 Artwork Generation

• Generate inductor layouts from JSON templates.
• Customizable via stacking, line widths, spacing, and dummy fills.

🔩 Via & Guard Ring

• Create, stack, and fill vias across layers with precise control.
• Automatically generate guard rings with substrate contacts and dummy fills (checkered pattern).

🤖 ANN Surrogate Modeling

• Train and evaluate neural networks to predict inductance (L) and quality factor (Q).
• Hyperparameter tuning for optimal performance.

🏆 Multi-Objective Optimization

• Optimize inductors for target performance using the NSGA-II algorithm.
• Visualize Pareto fronts for trade-off analysis.

🔍 EM Simulation

• Run EM simulations with Cadence EMX.
• Configurable via JSON.

🖥️ UiX Interface (Beta)

Conure includes an interactive UiX (User Interaction eXperience) tool combining a Flask backend and a React (Vite) frontend for streamlined artwork description editing and live previews.

Starting the UiX

• ./start.sh
  Launches start_uix.sh in the background as a daemon, capturing output in uix.log.
• ./start_uix.sh
  • Loads environment variables from .env (if present).
  • Defaults: Backend port 5000 (VITE_BACKEND_PORT), Frontend port 5173 (FRONTEND_PORT).
  • Starts the Flask backend (uix/backend) and the React (Vite) frontend (uix/frontend).
  • Writes PIDs to uix.lock in the project root.
  • Displays running ports and PIDs.
• ./stop.sh
  Stops UiX by running stop_uix.sh (logging to stop_uix.log). Ensure stop_uix.sh is present and executable.

Logs & Status

• Logs:
  • uix.log — Captures both backend and frontend startup output.
  • stop_uix.log — Captures UiX shutdown output.
• Lockfile:
  • uix.lock — Stores process names and PIDs. The start script detects existing processes to prevent multiple instances.

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📦 Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   $ git clone https://github.com/<your-org>/conure.git
   $ cd conure

2. Create a Python virtual environment and install dependencies:

   $ ./setup_venv.sh 
   $ source .venv/bin/activate

3. Ensure Cadence EMX is installed and configured if you plan to run EM simulations.

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⚙️ Quickstart

Note: Replace OUTPUT_DIR and SWEEP_OUTPUT (in uppercase) with your own desired output directory paths when running the commands.

Artwork Generation

$ python artwork_generator.py \
    --artwork artwork_library/Inductors/Coplanar/Inductor_Coplanar_5.json \
    --output OUTPUT_DIR \
    --name my_artwork \
    --layout \
    --svg

EM Simulation

$ python simulator.py \
    --gds OUTPUT_DIR/my_artwork.gds \
    --config simulator/config.json \
    --sim emx \
    --artwork artwork_library/Inductors/Coplanar/Inductor_Coplanar_5.json \
    --output OUTPUT_DIR \
    --name my_artwork

Sweep (Batch Generation + Simulation)

$ python sweep.py \
    --artwork artwork_library/Inductors/Coplanar/Inductor_Coplanar_5.json \
    --sweep sweep.json \
    --output SWEEP_OUTPUT \
    --layout \
    --simulate \
    --config simulator/config.json \
    --sim emx

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🏗️ Development & Contribution

Contributions are welcome! Please fork the repo, create a feature branch, and submit a pull request. For major changes, open an issue first to discuss your ideas.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a branch: git checkout -b feature/my-feature
3. Commit your changes: git commit -am 'Add new feature'
4. Push to the branch: git push origin feature/my-feature
5. Open a Pull Request

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👥 Team

• Habibur Rahman – University of Oslo, Norway
• Adrian Llop Recha – University of Oslo, Norway
• Stefano Fasciani – University of Oslo, Norway
• Pål Gunnar Hogganvik – University of Oslo, Norway
• Kristian Kjelgård – University of Oslo, Norway
• Dag Wisland – University of Oslo, Norway

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📖 Citation

If you use Conure in your research, please cite:

H. Rahman, A. L. Recha, S. Fasciani, P. G. Hogganvik, K. G. Kjelgård and D. T. Wisland, "Conure: Surrogate-based Artwork Generator for RFCMOS Integrated Inductors," in 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), Singapore, May 2024, pp. 1-5. doi: 10.1109/ISCAS58744.2024.10558598

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📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.