Issue link: https://resources.system-analysis.cadence.com/i/1355116
Cadence is a pivotal leader in electronic design and computational expertise, using its Intelligent System Design strategy to turn design concepts into reality. Cadence customers are the world's most creative and innovative companies, delivering extraordinary electronic products from chips to boards to systems for the most dynamic market applications. www.cadence.com © 2020 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Cadence, the Cadence logo, and the other Cadence marks found at www.cadence.com/go/trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 14639 06/20 DB/SA/DS-MWO-PCB/PDF RF PCB Design with AWR Software Product Strengths Design Flow Automation AWR software provides PCB compatibility with a host of file formats, enabling designers to readily access the best tools for the task at hand. Starting from PCB physical design in layout form, standard PCB formats such as DXF, Gerber, ODB++, and IPC-2581 are supported, which provides plug-and-play compatibility with layout tools from third- party vendors. The PCB import wizard offers advanced layout selection/editing in preparation for more efficient EM analysis. In addition, the proprietary iNet intelligent net technology automates layout implementation of interconnects as wires on a schematic. A layout net, represented as a "rat's nest," is selected in the layout and then routed simply by clicking the path from component to component, after which the line is routed using specified default vertical and horizontal routing layers and widths. EM Analysis The Cadence AWR AXIEM ® 3D proprietary full-wave planar EM simulator uses method-of-moments (MoM) fast-solver technology to readily analyze distributed PCB components, transmission lines, and layer-to-layer PCB interconnects such as vias. Designers can extract S-parameters directly within their PCB design and visualize fields/currents to identify parasitic coupling and resonances. The automated circuit extraction (ACE) interconnect analysis tool converts complex PCBs into high-frequency circuit netlists, including every crossover, via, and multi- layer coupled-line model. ACE technology uses MoM and FEM solvers on the densest parts of any design to improve accuracy by focusing less on lines that have little impact on circuit behavior. The ACE coupling radius discriminator isolates couplings that limit board performance. Tool Interoperability Cadence AWR Connected™ third-party software/hardware solutions link AWR software within a broader PCB subsystem design flow, including enterprise-level layout tools, alternative EM/thermal simulators, and design-rule check (DRC)/layout vs. schematic (LVS) technologies. Features Highlights f Powerful design entry/automation and comprehensive vendor libraries f Accurate, fast, and robust harmonic balance (HB) simulation f AWR AXIEM analysis for automated layout editing, design verification, and parasitic extraction f Cadence AWR Analyst™ 3D FEM EM analysis for modeling 3D structures f EM Socket for integration with third-party EM tools f ACE technology for interconnect modeling The integrated flow between third-party and AWR tools has enabled us to significantly cut our design times. By concurrently designing the RF circuits in the context of the rest of the PCB, we can also reduce our design and manufacturing re-spins, which helps us meet aggressive time-to-market goals. Xavier Leblanc, Alcatel-Lucent