Design tool network mismatches in MMIC designs
The AWR Connected for DWT, a new NI AWR Design Environment flow enables integration with Design Workshop Technologies’ (DWT) design-rule checking (DRC) and/or layout vs. schematic (LVS) tools for printed circuit board (PCB) and module design. The new AWR Connected for DWT DRC and LVS flow can run in one of two ways: in the full view/DWT user-interface (UI) mode or transparently from within the Microwave Office UI.
The AWR Connected for DWT DRC module is a full-featured DRC tool capable of complex layout rule checks that can be used as a sign-off tool. It is well suited to handle all angle geometries (such as curved structures found in many PCB and module designs), making it extremely flexible and capable of locating errors. In addition, the integrated AWR Connected for DWT error viewer option makes it easy for users to find and fix layout faults.
The AWR Connected for DWT LVS module provides designers with an efficient tool for detecting network mismatches occurring in the physical layout of microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC), PCB and module designs. Capable of extracting common devices like metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), diodes, capacitors and resistors, as well as generic user-defined devices and spiral inductors, AWR Connected for DWT LVS produces an easy-to-understand report, which lists all sources of discrepancies it detects between the layout-generated netlist and the original netlist. Lastly, the integrated error viewer, as used for DRC, is even more effective for finding and fixing LVS errors due to the cross-probing capability.
“We are excited to bring DWT technology to our Microwave Office customers through the AWR Connected program,” said Sherry Hess, vice president of marketing at NI, AWR Group. “We continue to develop new and innovative AWR Connected flows that provide customers with ready access to the tools they need for the job at hand.”
The AWR Connected for DWT flow will be on display at IMS 2015, May 18-22 in Phoenix