Documentation
Silvaco documentation and user manuals
Find the Silvaco documentation for the tool you run: its manual, release notes, installation guide and examples, and which of them open without a sign-in.
Where each kind of Silvaco
documentation lives
It’s split across four places: the support portal, Latest Release,
the Technical Library and Application Examples. Only one
kind, the user manual, asks you to sign in.
Open to everyone
Installation guides
The 2025 Silvaco Software Installation Guide walks you from download to a working SFLM or FlexLM license server. Two PDFs sit beside it: the FlexLM Quick Start Guide and Hardware Requirements.
Portal account needed
User manuals
The support portal’s User Manuals section holds a manual for every Silvaco tool. Your account gets you in.
Open to everyone
Release notes
Each set opens straight from its tool’s row on Latest Release. The name gives the year it covers, so check it against the build you’re installing.
Open to everyone
Application notes
Applied write-ups in the Technical Library, filed under three topics: analog custom design, parasitic extraction and SPICE simulation.
Portal account needed
Examples
New to a tool? Open its examples first. They’re drawn from years of real benchmark work, and they suit self-training and teaching as much as evaluation. Each software package installs the full set for its version. On the web, Application Examples covers TCAD (atomistic, meshing, process and device), SmartSpice, Gateway, Guardian DRC, Guardian LVS, Expert, Hipex and Utmost IV.
User manuals, release notes and
examples, tool by tool
Check the version you run against the current one, then see which of its documents you can open right away.
What you can open without signing in
Needs a support portal account
User manuals, plus the software itself. Registration takes a work, university or government email address.
Open to everyone
Release notes, installation guides, application notes, the web examples and all of the Technical Library. Nothing to fill in first.
Where the Technical Library and Latest Release fit
The Technical Library explains the methods
Application notes, published papers, presentations, white papers, TCAD training material and past issues of the Simulation Standard. Go there to understand the physics behind a tool. Use the documentation to install and run it.
Latest Release keeps versions current
Every tool’s current version, the platforms it runs on and its release notes, revised as new builds ship. Check it before you install or upgrade.
Questions about Silvaco manuals and documentation
Where can I find Silvaco user manuals?
In the support portal. Its User Manuals section covers every Silvaco tool, and you’ll need an account to open it. If you don’t have one yet, register on the Downloads page. Release notes and installation guides are public, so you can read those without an account.
Is Silvaco documentation publicly available?
Most of it. Anyone can open the web examples, application notes, installation guides and release notes, along with the full Technical Library. User manuals are the exception, because they sit in the support portal. And every package you install brings its own examples, so a licensed team has those offline.
Where are the release notes for the current version?
On Latest Release, linked from each tool’s row, with no account needed. Check the year in the file name before relying on it. The Victory tools are on 2025 notes, while Gateway, SmartSpice, Utmost IV and several others are on 2024. Cello, Viola and the two license managers have none published.
What is the difference between documentation and the technical library?
Documentation is what you use to get a Silvaco tool installed and running: user manuals, release notes, installation guides and examples. The Technical Library is about why the tools work the way they do. You’ll find papers, presentations, white papers, application notes and Simulation Standard journal issues there, plus TCAD training material.
Do I need an account to read the manuals?
Yes. Manuals open only after you sign in to the support portal. Registration is a single form on the Downloads page, and it needs an address from your employer, your university or a government body. Free email services are turned away. That same login gets you software downloads and PDKs too.
Which documentation applies to my version?
Whichever set matches the build you run. Compare your version with the one shown for each tool on Latest Release, then check the year on its release notes. Installed examples already match your version. If an example on the web isn't in your installation, a later release probably added it.
Related IP
Downloads
Register for a portal account and get your licensed software.
Latest Release
Current versions, supported platforms and each tool's release notes.
Installation and OS Support
Installation guides, supported operating systems and license server setup.
Technical Library
The physics and methods, from application notes to the Simulation Standard.