Klayout 25d View Jun 2026

Do not render an entire 10mm x 10mm microprocessor in 25D. Zoom into a specific area of concern—such as an ESD protection circuit, an array of TSVs (Through-Silicon Vias), or a specific photonics coupler—and render only that specific bounding box. 2. Adjust the Z-Axis Scaling (Z-Scale)

Tip: You can save this configuration as a .lyt or technology file so you don't have to re-enter the dimensions every time you open a new design. Step 3: Render and Navigate

If your polygons just look like flat colored pancakes even in perspective mode, check the thickness. Without sidewalls, an extruded polygon is invisible when viewed from the side. Set "Sidewall width" to at least 1 pixel.

If you want, I can:

To project layers along the Z-axis, KLayout needs to know the physical thickness and relative height of each layer. This is done via a technology script or a layer definition file. You will need to map out your process stack: (Z = 0) Active Area / Diffusion Gate Poly (Thickness = ~100nm, Height = above Active) Contact Vias (Connecting Poly to Metal 1) Metal 1 (Thickness = ~200nm) Via 1 Metal 2 , and so forth. Step 3: Generating the Cross-Section / 25D Perspective

The 25D View is a visualization mode in KLayout that extrudes 2D shapes into pseudo-3D objects based on predefined height and thickness parameters. Unlike a full 3D CAD engine, it does not simulate complex conformal depositions or advanced topography. Instead, it stacks layers vertically like a cake. Why Use 2.5D Instead of Full 3D?

The Z-start or thickness values for your layers are likely set to zero, or the layers are not bound to active GDS layer numbers. klayout 25d view

Depending on the specific script or plugin you use, the execution varies slightly:

The magic of the 2.5D view lies entirely in . KLayout does not know that Metal 1 is 0.1µm thick and Metal 2 is 0.2µm thick by default. You have to tell it.

The bottom coordinate of the layer relative to the substrate. Do not render an entire 10mm x 10mm microprocessor in 25D

Standard extrusion creates perfectly vertical walls. If your process involves sloped sidewalls (common in deep reactive-ion etching), check if your KLayout 2.5D plugin or macro supports sidewall angle configurations to simulate a more realistic physical cross-section. Conclusion

To make the 2.5D view actionable, hide unused or non-functional layers so you can focus on the interconnects and devices.