This is the core repository for PowerSynth 2. Refer to the PowerSynth2-gui and other related repos for the GUI and other parts. The windows and linux installers are released through the PowerSynth Release Website, with installation instructions included in the PowerSynth2-pkg repo.
This repository contains the main source code for the PowerSynth 2 layout engine, models, optimization algorithms, and the command line interface (CLI). The source code is re-created based on the release version v1.9. It is developed on linux and then ported to windows before release. The code is migrated to python 3 with additional modules from different research projects. It can be run in CLI mode together with the pkg repository without GUI.
v2.0 is targeted at a minimum code base, thus many optional (or experimental) modules are removed in the initial release. Not all features of PowerSynth 2 are exposed in this release. But the capabilities will gradually grow with further research, development, and testing.
PowerSynth 2 started as a research project to introduce the VLSI electronics design automation algorithms for power electronic applications. It is developed originally by the E3DA Lab as a POETS project and then jointly by MSCAD Lab, at University of Arkansas.
PowerSynth 2 was first developed as an enhanced layout engine for PowerSynth 1 to handle design constraints in complicated layouts with efficiency improvements. The new layout engine is first previewed in PowerSynth v1.3, and then became the sole engine in v1.9. In addition, new 3D layout algorithms, electrical/thermal models are introduced in v2.0, with improved optimization algorithms introduced in v2.1.
The PowerSynth 2 project is co-directed by Prof. Yarui Peng and Prof. Alan Mantooth. The research project is mainly supported by NSF through POETS ERC, ARL, and ARPA-E through a series of grants.
The main developers of this release series include Imam Al Razi, Quang Le, Mehran Sanjabiasasi, and Tristan Evans. The initial GUI is mainly developed by Joshua Mitchener as an REU project. The codebase also received contributions from many collaborators, graduates, and undergrads.
The main features, algorithms, and experiments of PowerSynth 2 are summarized in the following papers:
- v2.0: Imam Al Razi, Quang Le, Tristan Evans, H. Alan Mantooth, and Yarui Peng, "PowerSynth 2: Physical Design Automation for High-Density 3D Multi-Chip Power Modules", IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 4698-4713, April 2023.
- v2.1: Mehran Sanjabiasasi, Imam Al Razi, H. Alan Mantooth, and Yarui Peng, "A Comparative Study on Optimization Algorithms in PowerSynth 2", in Proc. IEEE Design Methodologies Conference, Sep 2023.
We welcome contributions and collaborations from the community by providing patches and reporting issues. If you find our research projects helpful, please attribute this work in your publications and presentations as appropriate.