1. Purpose of the gate
Tape-out or SoC hand-off closes the Tape-out or SoC Hand-off stage. It is the point where the block leaves the analog team. For a SoC hand-off, the SoC team accepts the block and integrates it; for a tape-out, the database goes to the foundry for masks. Either way, the analog team's ability to change the block cheaply ends here.
The gate checks the completeness and consistency of what is released, not the design itself, which was signed off at the previous gate. Many integration failures come from incomplete views, mismatched versions or undocumented constraints rather than from the circuit.
The criteria are that integration views and models are complete and versioned, the tape-out checklist is complete, and known limitations are documented. On the product lifecycle, this gate feeds the product's design release.
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