With the latest release (Sigrity and Systems Analysis 2022.1 HF2) of Clarity  3D Solver, support for encrypted component models is now available. With this functionality, vendors that supply 3D components, such as connectors, can now merge their...(read more)

If you have seen any images or demonstrations of the 17.4-2019 release, the GUI may look ...(read more)

Microwaves & RF's David Maliniak interviews Sherry Hess of Cadence about recently announced products of Optimality and OnCloud.(read more)

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working on my thesis, which involves a beamformer system using CMOS 65nm technology. I'm trying to use the EMX tool for EM simulation but have encountered a few problems. Before diving into my questions about EMX, let me briefly explain how I conduct EM simulations with other software (ADS).

In ADS, I use the EM simulator with the Momentum microwave engine. However, my EM layout is quite large, and the mesh generated is extremely detailed, making it difficult to simulate the entire system. As a workaround, I divide the system into smaller parts and simulate each one individually. I've attached a snapshot of my setup, which includes an amplifier and a 1-to-2 Wilkinson power divider. I've separated these circuits and placed pins to facilitate EM simulations for each. I also placed ground pins at the boundaries of each circuit to connect them to the ground plane.

Here’s the link to the image (I'm unable to upload it due to an error): https://drive.google.com/file/d/13Qn4-DvMBj_K1JQLXrTWaWZ8uaLJr15u/view?usp=sharing

Now, moving on to EMX (version 6.3). For a maximum frequency of 31 GHz, I set the edge mesh = thickness = 0.4 µm (approximately the skin depth). However, when I simulate the circuit (amplifier + divider), the mesh on the ground plane becomes very dense, which makes running the simulation impossible due to excessive memory requirements. I reverted to my ADS approach and divided the circuit into two parts, placing ports to connect them. Unfortunately, EMX doesn't allow me to place multiple edge ports on the same edge for the ground plane, which has left me confused. Here are a couple of questions I have:

1. Is breaking the circuit into smaller parts a valid approach? Given the large ground plane, the mesh size for the ground is significant, making simulations challenging. Are there any methods to manage this issue?

2. Regarding the ground pins, why can't I place multiple edge ports to connect the ground planes of both circuits as I did in ADS? If this approach is incorrect, could you suggest alternative methods for simulating individual circuits and connecting them to estimate system performance?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

Hi I noticed that some figures from the old posts in the cadence blogs have been missing.

I think this problem happened before and Andrew Beckett asked the original author to fix the issue:

 Figures missing in the RF Design Blogs article of "Measuring Fmax for MOS Transistors" 

Some of these posts are quite valuable, and would be nice to have access to the figures, which are a very important part of some posts,

Thanks

Leandro

Hello Everybody

Recently, I want to design a high output Power Amplifier at 2.4GHz using TSMC 1P6M CMOS Bulk Process. I use its nmos_rf_25_6t transistor model to determine the approximate mosfet size

I use the most common Common-Source Differential Amplifier topology with neutralizing capacitor to improve its stability and power gain performance

Because I want to output large power, the size of mosfet is very large, the gate width is about 2mm, when I perform harmonic balance analysis, everything is alright, the OP1dB is about 28dBm (0.63Watt)

But When I perform Transient simulation, the magnitude of voltage and current waveform at the saturation point is too small, for voltgae, Vpeaking is about 50mV, for current, Ipeaking is about 5mA

I assume some reasons: the bsim4 model is not complete/ the virtuoso version is wrong (My virtuoso version is IC6.1.7-64b.500.21)/the spectre version is wrong (spectre version is 15.1.0 32bit)/the MMSIM version is wrong/Transient Simulation setting is wrong (the algorithm is select gear2only, but when I select other, like: trap, the results have no difference), the maxstep I set 5ps, minstep I set 2ps to improve simulation speed, I think this step is much smaller than the fundamental period (1/2.4e9≈416ps)

I have no idea how to solve this problem, please help me! Thank you very very much!

Any tips or SKIL files to help create a thermal shaped openings for paste masks for a donut shaped pin for mics or stand-offs like below?

Dear Community,

I have created a PCB layout with multiple high-speed nets, I want to check the SI like how signals are reflected and taken to each other.

I have the OrCAD X Professional, how to check the reflection and crosstalk using the OrCAD X Professional software version 24.1.

I want to create a topology flow to the PCB layout and perform the reflection and crosstalk.

Regards,

Rohit Rohan

Hai Community,

I have a PCB board which has multiple high speed nets and I want to perform the EMI and EMC checking.

Which Cadence tool should I use for checking the EMI and EMC coupling?

Regards,

Rohit Rohan

Optimizing PCB thermal performance is essential in today’s high-density designs, as it ensures stability, prolongs component life, and prevents potential thermal issues. One of the first steps to achieving this is with strategic component placement. Positioning high-power components—such as regulators, power transistors, or processors—away from heat-sensitive parts can prevent thermal interference, and placing them near the edges of the PCB often helps dissipate heat more effectively. It’s also beneficial to group components by their heat generation, creating dedicated thermal zones that can manage localized heating and reduce impact on other areas of the board.

Using thermal vias is another effective technique. By placing thermal vias under components like BGAs or power ICs, heat can be transferred from the surface to internal layers or ground planes. Increasing the size and number of these vias, or using thicker plating, enhances heat conductivity and helps manage heat more evenly across layers in multilayer boards. Increasing copper thickness on the PCB also has a major impact. Opting for thicker copper layers (e.g., 2 oz or even 3 oz copper) significantly boosts the heat dissipation capabilities of power planes and traces, especially in high-current areas. Large copper planes, such as dedicated ground or power planes, are equally effective in spreading heat efficiently. Adding thermal pads directly beneath heat-generating components improves this heat distribution.

Thermal relief pads help regulate heat flow for through-hole components by controlling heat transfer, which reduces thermal stress during soldering and prevents excessive heat spread to nearby sensitive areas. Performing thermal analysis with software tools like Celsius can be invaluable, as it allows you to simulate and model heat distribution, spot potential thermal issues, and refine your design before finalizing it.

Using heat sinks and thermal pads provides a direct way to draw heat from high-power components. Heat sinks can be attached with thermal adhesives, screws, or clamps, while thermal interface materials (TIMs), such as thermal pads or conductive adhesives, further reduce thermal resistance, enhancing heat-transfer efficiency. Optimizing the PCB layer stackup is also a key factor. Dedicated ground and power layers improve heat conduction across the PCB, enabling heat transfer between layers, particularly in high-density and multilayer PCBs.

In designs with high power requirements, active cooling options like fans, blowers, or heat pipes can be essential, helping to direct airflow across the PCB and further improving heat dissipation. Adding ventilation slots around hot zones and considering passive cooling paths enhance natural airflow, making the design more thermally efficient. By combining several of these techniques, you can create a PCB that handles heat effectively, resulting in a robust, long-lasting, and reliable product.

Let us know if you’ve had any challenges with thermal management in your designs—I’d be glad to discuss further!

A more appropriate title for this blog could be “All Vehicles with ADAS Need the Midas Functional Safety Platform”.

EVs tend to have advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) because they’re newer, but not all vehicles with ADAS are EVs!

Certifying Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is a multifaceted process involving rigorous testing, validation, and regulatory compliance to ensure safety and reliability.
As ADAS technologies become increasingly sophisticated, the certification process is evolving to meet these challenges.

The ISO26262 standard provides the requirements to be met to attain safety certification for digital designs.

One of the key aspects of ADAS certification is functional safety. This includes:

• Ensuring the system operates as intended under all conditions, including failures.
• Adherence to standards like ISO26262.
• Rigorous testing to identify potential hazards and mitigate risks.

The Midas Safety Platform provides early-phase exploration of functional safety architectures and leverages native chip design data to perform accurate safety analysis efficiently.

The platform is a unified solution available across Cadence products, and with its modular architecture, it supports both embedded and standalone usage with the Cadence flow.

After extracting the design information, an output Midas database file contains the isolated DUT and provides the design components and their fault tolerances to various tools in the flow.

Conformal can easily verify design transformations that include necessary components like TMR for safety.

In these videos, we explore how to create reports for both Transient and Permanent faults.

Creating Detailed FMEDA in Midas (Video)

Creating Architectural FMEDA in Midas (Video) 

Also, read this blog post for additional motivation: What Is Zonal Architecture? And Why Is it Upending the Automotive Supply Chain?

What Next?

Join the Midas Safety Platform Introduction and the Functional Safety Implementation and Verification with Midas trainings and learn more about:

• Setting up and defining the USF file
• Using the Midas Safety Platform to create functional safety reports, and
• Midas integration with the Genus  Synthesis Solution, Innovus  Implementation System, and Conformal Equivalence Checker tools to implement functional safety

The online class is free for all Cadence customers with a Cadence Learning and Support Portal account. If you don’t have a Cadence Support account, go to Registration Help or Register Now and complete the requested information. For instructor-led training sessions "Live" or "Blended" please contact Cadence Training.

Please don't forget to obtain your Digital Badge after completing the training. Add your free digital badge to your email signature or any social media and networking platform to show your qualities and build trust, making you and your projects even more successful.

If you want to make sure you are always the first to know about anything new in training, then you can use the SUBSCRIBE button on the landing page to sign up for our regular training newsletters.

Power efficiency is a critical factor in the fast-evolving world of semiconductor design.

The IEEE 1801 standard, also known as UPF (Unified Power Format), was developed by the IEEE to address the intricate challenges associated with power management in contemporary semiconductor designs. This standard offers a uniform framework for defining power domains, power states, and power intent, ensuring consistency across diverse tools and phases of the design process. By utilizing UPF, you can precisely model and regulate power consumption, a critical aspect for battery-operated devices, high-performance computing, and energy-efficient designs.

The key concepts of IEEE 1801 are:

1. Power domains
2. Power states
3. Power gating and isolation
4. Power switches
5. Level shifters, isolation, and retention cells
6. Macro model

Based on these building blocks, you write the power intent of the design.

The power intent for the design includes identifying/implementing low-power strategies that provide a clear description of the power architecture of a design.

The power definitions can effectively manage power consumption and ensure the chip meets its power and performance requirements.

You can start by creating the Power Supply Network, which defines how power is supplied to the design's various power domains and logic cells.

What's the next step to build the file? How do you understand the various concepts related to IEEE 1801? How do you complete the rest of the power intent file?

Relax!

Gear up to attend the training class created just for you to dive deep into the entire format and explore this exciting power specification method/format with hands-on labs in one day!

Training

Fundamentals of IEEE 1801 Low-Power Specification Format Training

This course is a complete tutorial for understanding the fundamentals of IEEE 1801 low-power specification format concepts. You learn about IEEE 1801 power supply networks, ground ports and nets, creating and connecting supply ports/nets, power domain, power switch, power states, defining isolation and level shifter strategies, hierarchical IEEE 1801, and various versions of the IEEE 1801. You also explore how power intent information can be used for a design across various flow stages, such as functional verification, synthesis, logic equivalency checking, place-and-route, test, timing signoff, power integrity, and so forth, using Cadence^® tools.

Labs

We ensure that your learning journey is smooth with hands-on labs covering various design scenarios.

Lab Videos

Now, the exciting part is that to help you further, we have created engaging videos of the training labs. You can refer to the lab module's instructions in demo format at https://support.cadence.com.

Lab Demo: Checking Power Supply Network in IEEE 1801 format and Running IEEE 1801 Quality Checks using Conformal Low Power

Lab Demo: Checking Power Intent for The Macro Connections in IEEE 1801 Format And Running IEEE 1801 Quality Checks using Conformal Low Power 

Online Class

Here is the course link.

Get ready for the most thrilling experience with Accelerated Learning!

The more you know, the faster you go!

Grab the cycle  or hike it, based on your existing knowledge.

Take the quiz and increase your learning pace!!

What's Next?

Grab your Badge after finishing the training and flaunt the expertise you have built up. 😊

Ready to take a tour of this power specification world? Let's help you enroll in this course.

We organize this training for you as a "Blended" or "Live" training. Please reach out to Cadence Training for further information. If you want to ensure you are always the first to know about anything new in training, you can use the SUBSCRIBE button on the landing page to sign up for our regular training newsletters.

Related Short Training Bytes/Videos

Enhance the learning experience with short videos:

Genus Synthesis Solution: Video Library

 Joules RTL Power Solution: Video Library

Related Training

 Low-Power Synthesis Flow with Genus Synthesis Solution

Genus Low-Power Synthesis Flow with IEEE 1801

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Conformal ECO Designer enables you to implement RTL engineering change orders (ECOs) for pre- and post-mask layout and offers early ECO prototyping capabilities for driving critical project decisions.

Conformal ECO compares two designs and generates a functional patch that implements the changes between the two designs.

One major criterion for determining patch quality is whether the patch can meet timing closure. To determine this, you typically need to run the time-consuming process of incremental synthesis and place-and-route. Instead, Conformal can analyze path logic depth changes before and after ECO patch generation. This provides a faster way to evaluate timing impact in patch generation stages.

After the patch is created and applied, it is passed to Genus to optimize the patch.

During patch optimization, you can choose to do many things like:

• Keeping constants in the patch
• Allowing tie cell inversion
• Specifying tie cell types
• Preserve DFF cells and cell types in the patch
• Preserve all cells and nets in the patch
• Preserve clock buffer cell in the patch
• Turn on/off sequential constant and sequential merge in patch optimization
• Allowing phase mapping for DFFs
• Map to spare cells
• Force fix DRC before timing

What's Next?

Join the Conformal ECO course to:

• Explore the many options and capabilities of Conformal ECO
• Use Conformal Engineering Change Order (ECO) for flat and hierarchical designs
• Generate a functional ECO patch, apply it to a design, optimize it, and map it to a specified technology
• Run a hierarchical design through ECO and run a comparison to prove the ECO is equivalent
• Run a postmask ECO using Conformal ECO GXL

Make sure you have experience with Conformal Equivalence Checker or completed the Conformal Equivalence Checking course before taking this course.

The online class is free for all Cadence customers with a Cadence Learning and Support Portal account. If you don’t have a Cadence Support account, go to Registration Help or Register Now and complete the requested information. For instructor-led training sessions "Live" or "Blended" please contact Cadence Training.

Please don't forget to obtain your Digital Badge after completing the training. Add your free digital badge to your email signature or any social media and networking platform to show your qualities and build trust, making you and your projects even more successful.

Research by fDi Intelligence reveals which countries receive more than their ‘expected share’ of FDI. 

Russia remains fDi’s most diversified commodity economy, while second ranked Brazil has displaced Ukraine into third place. Cathy Mullan reports.

A look at the results of fDi’s rankings throughout 2019 finds that Singapore and New York dominated the year’s league tables, followed by Shanghai, Tokyo and London

Egypt is well on the way to establishing a diversified economy, claims Hala El Saeed, minister of planning and economic development 

Kenya’s cabinet secretary for the national treasury and planning, Ukur Yatani, discusses the country’s agenda of fiscal reforms and the importance of constructing an east-west Africa highway.

Atlantis in South Africa has a new SEZ focused on green manufacturing, which is hoping to turn around the area's fortunes. Annie Hessler reports.

The UK’s prime minister has pledged to rebalance the UK economy away from a dominant London. However, this might require greater incentives for foreign investment in the regions outside of the capital, which are underperforming. 

Authorities in the US, the EU and across the developed world are stepping up efforts to scrutinise foreign investment on the grounds of both national security and tech sovereignty.

London LEP and Thames Valley Berkshire LEP hold on to their respective first and second places in the Local Enterprise Partnership rankings, while Oxfordshire LEP jumps up eight places to third. 

Warsaw already offers a skilled workforce and has improved its infrastructure – now it must focus on climate change and reducing congestion, mayor Rafał Trzaskowski tells fDi.

Continued African development could hinge on public finance reforms.

Financial incentives from two different cities persuaded US grocery chain The Fresh Market to stay headquartered in its home state of North Carolina.

Bradford has been rated as the most improved city by the Good Growth for Cities 2019 index, while Oxford remained the highest performing UK city.

The Gulf region is making extensive reforms to its foreign investment landscape in an effort to attract foreign investors to sectors outside oil and gas, according to a recent report by PwC. 

Severe threats to the environment accounted for all of the five most likely long-term risks in the WEF’s Global Risks Report 2020.

Western European carmakers should consider an R&D footprint in CEE, says McKinsey.

India’s 2020 budget continues the process of opening up to overseas investment.

The social turmoil in Hong Kong has triggered an economic crisis, raising questions over the special administrative region’s future as a major financial hub on mainland China’s doorstep. 

Kyrgyzstan is trying to stabilise a volatile business environment by diversifying its economy away from gold and remittances, and employing an ombudsman to reassure investors. 

Uruguay-based Zonamerica has successfully expanded into Colombia and China, and is now looking to export its model to other parts of Asia and Africa.

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is to launch a digital currency for the benefit of its dispersed island economies – essential to a region that has been disproportionately affected by climate change-induced disasters, governor Timothy Antoine tells fDi.

Giant investment firm BlackRock throwing its weight behind sustainability issues is sending a signal to the corporate world to respond urgently to global calls for action, writes Gregg Wassmansdorf.

A government bailout for the ailing subsidiary of the telecoms powerhouse has fallen through. 

Once the powerhouse of the industrial US, the rust belt states have revived their economies with the help of foreign investment. 

The fallout from the pandemic looks set to stall trade and investment to Latin America.

Ford's bestselling F-150 full-size pickup truck receives minor changes for the 2025 model year, including some removal of standard equipment on certain trim levels in exchange for lower starting prices. Ford also rolls out BlueCruise 1.4 and expands the availability of the latest iteration of its limited hands-free driving system. The base F-150...

Jeep Wrangler sets the bar for off-roading capability Larger Ford Bronco has a more modern suspension Both SUVs have removable doors and tops When Ford relaunched the Bronco for the 2021 model year, it had one target in its sights: The Jeep Wrangler. The Wrangler has been the American benchmark for off-roading capability in the 80-plus years since...

We're already deeply into the discovery phase of the 2025 model year. With it, as usual, have come a stellar crop of new vehicles—everything from the high and mighty Chevy Corvette ZR1 to the cheeky, efficient Honda Civic Hybrid. But on the sadder end of the spectrum, we're tallying the list of vehicles that didn't make the cut—the...

Want a pickup truck but don’t want the hangups of a full-size truck? Ford has you covered with two compelling pickup options. The Ford Ranger midsize pickup truck has a crew cab and 5-foot bed like the F-150, and it also has a Raptor off-road model. With a 7,500-pound towing capacity, it can’t tow or haul as much as an F-150, but...

Mazda is recalling CX-90 three-row crossover SUVs because of a software problem that could prevent the engine from restarting when the engine stop-start system is used. The CX-90 is available with mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, but this recall only involves 2024 mild-hybrid models, encompassing 38,926 vehicles in total. The mild...

The 2025 Volkswagen Golf R's output increases to 328 hp A manual transmission remains off the table for all Golfs, including the R The Golf R gains a larger touchscreen and more LED lighting Volkswagen has an updated 2025 Golf R headed to showrooms early next year, and on Tuesday the automaker confirmed some of the specifications for the U.S...

Mazda issued two more recalls for the CX-90, and the CX-70 joins recall list One issue stems from an inverter software issue while the other has do to with faulty software in the dashboard New software is the fix for both issues Mazda is recalling CX-90 and CX-70 crossover SUVs for two separate software-related issues. One could cause loss of...

Lucid Motors is pitching its Air electric sedan as a potential police cruiser. On Sunday the automaker posted photos of an Air decked out in police equipment on X (formerly Twitter). Lucid said the car had recently participated in California Highway Patrol testing, but did not provide any other details. We've reached out to Lucid with questions...

Antwerp boasts both Europe’s largest integrated chemical cluster and its second largest port, which forms the bedrock of the city’s economy. Now the authorities are collaborating to foster innovation and sustainability to build on these historic strengths.

With a multilingual population, Antwerp enjoys a diverse talent pool that has made it a popular testbed for digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

Moldova's wine industry has gained some international recognition but the country remains largely untroubled by tourists, a combination that is enticing some foreign investors.

FDI into Brazil has increased by 66.48% in a little under two years. Jonathan Wildsmith reports.