ADS platform selected for complete RFIC/MMIC implementations

“We successfully used the ADS front-to-back design flow for UWB power amplifier MMIC design in a WIN pHEMT process,” said Shogo Ida, president and chief executive officer at GIT. “We also used it when expanding our portfolio to include silicon-based designs using IBM’s high-performance SiGe BiCMOS technology. We chose ADS because it delivers proven RF circuit simulation, integrated EM solvers and RF-relevant backend support. It was key to our first-time-right tape-outs and enabled us to introduce unique products on time.”

ADS is the most widely used platform for III-V MMIC design but also provides a complete RFIC design flow—including layout, enhanced foundry-certified PDKs, LVS and DRC—that is crucial for a successful implementation of wireless front-ends. The scalable front-to-back solution not only facilitates the job of the MMIC and RFIC designer from the beginning, but also directly integrates with other domains, such as RF modules and RF system-in-package (SiP) design.

Key ADS features like ADS Layout and Desktop DRC and LVS help simplify and speed the design flow. ADS Layout, for example, features an RFIC toolbar for easier, more efficient physical design and trace routing. Desktop DRC and LVS help verify and correct layouts against foundry DRC rules prior to tape out and catch errors early in the design cycle, all from the users’ desktop. In addition, ADS’ integrated 3D planar EM simulator Momentum combines full-wave and quasi-static EM solvers for simplified passive, interconnect and parasitic modeling.

“As a leader in the GaAs MMIC world, we have seen the popularity of the ADS platform for silicon-based RFIC design grow tremendously over the years,” said Juergen Hartung, RFIC marketing manager for Agilent EEsof EDA. “Customers can now use these kits for a variety of RF CMOS, RF SOI and SiGe BiCMOS technologies to enjoy full back-end support that includes schematic-driven layout creation, layout-versus-schematic check, and integrated 3D planar electromagnetic and 3D-FEM simulators.”