Software focuses on total RF closure.
Press Release Summary:
Analog Office(TM) utilizes concurrent interconnect-driven and RF-aware design methodology that is built around Intelligent Net(TM) technology in unified design environment. Design suite is integrated into existing digital and mixed signal IC design flows and solves gigahertz analog RFIC challenges. Integrated simulation technology allows users to combine simulation techniques while using consistent set of validated models.
Original Press Release:
AWR Announces Analog Office for Next Generation Analog & RFIC Designs
First Complete System in 10 Years to Deliver Dramatic Improvements in Design Productivity and Time-to-Market for Wireless IC Applications
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - May 19, 2003 - Applied Wave Research, Inc. (AWR(TM)) a leading provider of high-frequency electronic design automation (EDA) tools, today announced Analog Office(TM) software, for next generation analog and radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) designs, focused on total RF closure. The Analog Office solution is the first complete IC design system in over a decade that is specifically architected and optimized from the ground up for analog and RFIC designs. The solution boasts an industry-first, concurrent interconnect-driven and RF-aware, design methodology in a unified design environment that delivers unprecedented ease-of-use, interactivity, and openness. The Analog Office design suite is fully integrated into existing digital and mixed signal IC design flows and enables analog and RFIC design engineers to significantly shorten their development cycles and speed wireless products to market.
"Unlike existing solutions that were built a decade ago on 'digital-centric' databases, the Analog Office design suite is built upon a ground breaking software architecture and openness," said James Spoto, president and CEO of AWR. "Together with an innovative RF-centric data model, the solution provides an entirely new IC design system specifically focused on solving gigahertz analog RFIC challenges. The Analog Office product embodies years of knowledge in RF, microwave, and millimeter wave applications and delivers a new level of design automation and productivity not possible with other EDA tools on the market today."
RF Closure
The Analog Office design system addresses high-frequency impairments that force the need to obtain complete "RF closure" between the RFIC's system and circuit, electrical and physical, and design and test activities before commitment to costly IC implementation. Failing to achieve rapid "RF closure" during product development can result in expensive rework and fatal product-to-market delays.
Concurrent Interconnect-Driven/RF-Aware Design Methodology
Integral to the Analog Office software is an innovative RF-aware design methodology built around the Intelligent Net(TM) or iNet technology. Unlike existing "net" constructs built on a "digital-centric" data model, the Analog Office iNet solution is an RF-accurate net model with multiple levels of abstraction, ranging from:
· An ideal "short-circuit" model;
· To a lumped element model;
· To a fully distributed transmission line;
· To a full 3-D electromagnetic (EM) model.
iNet technology provides concurrent and real-time connectivity information between the schematic and layout representations, eliminating the need for a serial post-layout connectivity extraction step. Full control of simulation and analysis can be applied to iNet technology, in the same manner as is applied to all other devices in the design, ensuring complete RF design closure.
Complete Front-to-Back Analog and RFIC Design System
The Analog Office product provides a single environment to fully interact with a comprehensive and powerful set of integrated tools for top-down and front-to-back analog and RFIC design. The toolset spans the entire IC design flow, from system-level to circuit-level design and verification, including:
· Design entry and schematic capture
· Time- and frequency-domain simulation and analysis
· Physical layout with automated device-level place and route and integrated design rule checker (DRC)
· 3-D full field solver-based extraction
· A comprehensive set of waveform display and analysis capabilities supporting complex RF measurements
Coupled with industry leading semiconductor foundry design kits for silicon germanium (SiGe), and RF complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes as well as gallium arsenide (GaAs), Analog Office software is the first completely new system in over a decade delivering concept-to-verification design capabilities.
Powerful Simulation Technologies
The Analog Office solution offers a comprehensive set of simulation technologies including:
· One of the industry's fastest harmonic balance simulators for non-linear frequency-domain simulation and analysis
· The industry's golden standard HSPICE® simulation engine from Synopsys for time-domain simulation
· A 3-D planar EM simulator enabling arbitrary layout structures to be embedded within linear and non-linear circuit simulation
The Analog Office's integrated simulation technology allows users to combine simulation techniques while using a consistent set of validated models. A great deal of focus was placed on developing models, libraries, and measurements to ensure complete compatibility and seamless integration between frequency and time-domain engines. Together with the extensive waveform display and analysis capabilities, the Analog Office simulation system provides both accurate analysis and one of the highest verification performances in today's industry.
Physical Layout with Automatic Placement and Routing, Integrated DRC and Embedded 3-D Extractor
The Analog Office package offers a fully interactive custom layout tool with integrated device-level, auto-placement, and auto-routing features to speed up the creation of analog and RF circuit blocks and chips. A fully integrated DRC ensures the physical layout being created always meets the process design rules, resulting in a correct-by-design, error-free layout. At every step during the physical design process, concurrent simulation and analysis can be invoked on schematic or layout, since the underlying data model, including the iNet data structure, is continuously updated in real time. To ensure proper modeling of nets in gigahertz physical layout, the Analog Office design system also includes an embedded 3-D critical net field simulator for creating very accurate, capacitively coupled or inductively coupled, SPICE model of selected nets on the design.
Analog Office software provides IC designers a complete physical design system to fully implement their analog and RFICs within a single design environment, eliminating the need for switching between multiple environments and databases.
Price and Availability
AWR will release Analog Office 2003 design suite to customers in Q3 2003. The product supports Windows NT4, 2000, and XP. U.S. list prices for yearly, time-based licenses range from $8,000 - $40,000 depending upon configurations. A LINUX version of the software will also be available at a later date. For more information on product pricing and availability call 310-726-3000. For product pricing and availability outside the U.S., please contact AWR or AWR's local sales representative.
About Applied Wave Research, Inc.
Applied Wave Research was founded in 1994 and is a leading supplier of high-frequency electronic design automation (EDA) products for the design of wireless telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, high-speed computers, networking systems, and a variety of other electronics-based products. AWR is a privately held company and has development offices, sales offices, training centers, and global distribution. AWR has over 400 customer companies worldwide, including virtually every major high-frequency electronic component and system supplier. The company is located at 1960 East Grand Avenue, Suite 430, El Segundo, California 90245. For more information about AWR and its products, please visit www.mwoffice.com or call 310-726-3000.
AWR, the AWR logo, Analog Office, and Intelligent Net are trademarks of Applied Wave Research, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective holders.
For more information, please contact:
Ann Shubnell, Marketing Communications
Applied Wave Research, Inc.
1960 East Grand Avenue, Ste. 430, El Segundo, CA 90245
Tel 310-726-3000 - Fax 310-726-3005 info@mwoffice.com
