From RTL to Fabrication: Survey of Open-Source EDA Tools and PDKs

This article aims to synthesize the current ecosystem of open-source tools for Integrated Circuit (IC) design, covering the entire digital design flow from Register-Transfer Level (RTL) description to fabricable layouts. The survey categorizes and analyzes tools across major stages of design, including code-generation tools, logic synthesis, simulation, and physical design flow. Special emphasis is given to the fabricable open-source Process Design Kit (PDK), which enables the physical realization of open-hardware projects. By examining interoperability, limitations, and maturity across this toolchain, the article provides a comprehensive overview of the Electronic Design Automation (EDA) landscape and identifies the research and educational opportunities that arise from democratizing silicon design through open and reproducible workflows.