4_license.md

SemiDevKit — License Guide

SemiDevKit uses a hybrid licensing model designed to balance open-source usability with appropriate protection for educational materials and figures.

1. License Overview

SemiDevKit is composed of multiple categories of content:

Category	License	Notes
Source Code (Python, SPICE, Shell)	MIT License	Free to use, modify, and redistribute.
Documentation Text (Markdown, explanations)	CC BY 4.0	Attribution required. Commercial use allowed.
Figures, Diagrams, Plots	CC BY-NC 4.0	Non‑commercial use only. Derivatives allowed with attribution.
External references	Original license applies	Cite the source.

2. MIT License (Source Code)

Applies to:

tcad/ Python scripts
bsim/ analyzers & utilities
paramus_physical tools
shell scripts & helper utilities
OpenLane-Lite wrapper scripts

MIT License grants:

Free use
Free modification
Free redistribution
No warranty

Full MIT text is included in LICENSE.

3. CC BY 4.0 (Text Materials)

This license applies to:

Markdown documents
Tutorials
Educational descriptions

You are free to:

Copy / redistribute
Adapt / modify
Use commercially

Requirement:
You must credit the original author (“Shinichi Samizo / Samizo-AITL”).

4. CC BY-NC 4.0 (Figures & Diagrams)

This applies to:

Plots generated by TCAD tools
Educational diagrams
Block diagrams, architecture figures

Allowed:

Redistribution
Modification

Not allowed:

Commercial use without permission

5. External Materials

If a file contains:

Third‑party images
Third‑party modelcards
IEEE paper excerpts
External diagrams

Then the original license supersedes SemiDevKit rules.

Such items must be cited properly.

6. Recommended Citation

If you use SemiDevKit materials in research or academic work:

Shinichi Samizo, SemiDevKit: Open Educational Toolkit for Semiconductor Device Simulation and Modeling, 2025.
https://github.com/Samizo-AITL/SemiDevKit

7. Contact for Licensing Questions

For commercial licensing inquiries:

📌 Item	Details
Name	Shinichi Samizo
GitHub