Inelectronics and photonics design,tape-out ortapeout is the final stage of thedesign process forintegrated circuits orprinted circuit boards before they are sent for manufacturing. The tapeout is specifically the point at which the graphic for thephotomask of the circuit is sent to the fabrication facility. The name originates from the use of magnetic tape to send the data to the manufacturing facility.[1]
The termtapeout currently is used to describe the creation of the photomask itself from the final approved electronic CAD file. Designers may use this term to refer to the writing of the final file to disk or CD and its subsequent transmission to thesemiconductor foundry; however, in current practice, the foundry will perform checks and make modifications to the mask design specific to the manufacturing process before actual tapeout. These modifications of themask data include:[2]
A modernintegrated circuit has to go through a long and complex design process before it is ready for tape-out. Many of the steps along the way use software tools collectively known aselectronic design automation (EDA). The design must then go through a series of verification steps collectively known as "signoff" before it can be taped-out. Tape-out is usually a cause for celebration by everyone who worked on the project, followed by trepidation awaiting thefirst article, the first physical samples of a chip from the manufacturing facility (semiconductor foundry).
First tapeout is rarely the end of work for the design team. Most chips will go through a series of iterations, called "spins", in which errors are detected and fixed after testing the first article. Many different factors can cause a spin, including:
The roots of the term can be traced back to the time when paper tape and later magnetic tape reels were loaded with the final electronic files used to create thephotomask at the factory.[1][3][4]
A synonym used atIBM isRIT (release interface tape). IBM differentiates betweenRIT-A for the non-metallic structures andRIT-B for the metal layers.[5]A synonym used atTexas Instruments is PG (pattern generation).[citation needed]