Shuttle submission

A shuttle puts many designs on one wafer run. Each shuttle has its own chip template (pads, seal ring, fill) and its own acceptance check, called the precheck. Tapeo builds your design with that template and runs that precheck, so what you submit is checked by the same tools the shuttle uses. It marks a design Ready to submit only when the official precheck passed on the current sources.

Shuttles#

The Workflow tab shows the shuttle for your project's process. The terminal client lists both: tapeo shuttle.

The wrapper#

Your design connects to the shuttle through a wrapper module with the shuttle's fixed interface. Tapeo checks the interface exactly; it never guesses which design pin goes to which pad.

• wafer.space: shuttle/waferspace/chip_core.sv, module chip_core with the template's ports (clock, active-low reset, input, bidirectional, and analog pads, sized by the slot). Set the slot in shuttle/waferspace.json, for example {"size": "0p5x0p5"}.
• Tiny Tapeout: shuttle/tinytapeout/tt_wrapper.v, a tt_um_ module with ui_in, uo_out, uio_in/uio_out/uio_oe, ena, clk, and rst_n. shuttle/tinytapeout.json holds the size, title, author, description, topModule, clockHz, and pin labels; Tapeo writes the template's info.yaml from it.
• In Workflow, Ask the Architect to write the wrapper asks in the Architect chat, which drafts both files with a proposed pin map as a card to apply. Review the pin map before building.

Build and precheck#

In Workflow, choose the size and click Build and run official precheck. From the terminal:

$ tapeo shuttle waferspace-gf180 0p5x0p5 --watch

The run uses one build from your plan and takes one to several hours. It runs on Tapeo's servers without network access, in a runner made from the shuttle's own images at pinned versions:

• wafer.space: the gf180mcu-project-template's LibreLane chip flow (pads, seal ring, fill, Magic and KLayout DRC, LVS), then the official gf180mcu-precheck.
• Tiny Tapeout: Tiny Tapeout's own configuration step, its LibreLane hardening with the SKY130 PDK it pins, its submission packaging, and its precheck.

The result is saved under shuttle/: the GDS (open it from the panel), the precheck log, and the verdict in precheck.json. If you change the wrapper, the design sources, or the shuttle settings (including the size) afterwards, the status becomes Sources changed since the precheck until you build again. These files are not design sources: synthesis and the other workflow stages ignore everything under shuttle/.

Submitting#

• wafer.space: upload shuttle/waferspace/chip_top.gds for your slot. wafer.space runs the same precheck again.
• Tiny Tapeout: Tiny Tapeout takes a public GitHub repository made from its template. With GitHub connected (Connect GitHub), choose Create public GitHub repo on the card: Tapeo makes it in your account with the files that passed the precheck, a test, and a datasheet page, then shows GitHub's checks (chip build, precheck, gate-level test, and the optional layout viewer, with its link) and the repository link to paste at app.tinytapeout.com. Update GitHub repo sends later changes; submit a new revision on the portal after each. Tiny Tapeout hardens it again with the same tools. Without GitHub connected, make the repository yourself: shuttle/tinytapeout/info.yaml as info.yaml, and the wrapper and sources in src/.

Limits#

• Designs must fit the chosen slot or tiles. Tiny Tapeout builds use only standard cells. wafer.space builds may also instantiate the GF180 SRAM its template supports (gf180mcu_fd_ip_sram__sram512x8m8wm1): the build places and powers each instance; other macros are refused before the build starts.
• The precheck checks manufacturability (design rules, density, pads, the shuttle's rules). It does not check that the design works: simulate it and review timing in the build log first.
• Shuttles change their templates and rules between runs. Tapeo pins the versions it builds with; check the shuttle's current requirements before you pay for a slot.