RF/Microwave Circuit Design

Cadence® Microwave Office® circuit design software is used by leading manufacturers to develop high-frequency electronics. RF-aware layout, high-frequency models, and a powerful harmonic balance (HB) simulator ensure accurate and fast simulation results for first-pass success. The intuitive interface, innovative design automation, and design-assist features promote optimum engineering productivity and accelerate the development of RF/microwave IP across monolithic microwave IC (MMIC), RF PCB, and module technologies as standalone components or integrated within complex multi-technology systems.

Key Benefits

Robust

The best-in-class HB engine provides fast and rigorous convergence of highly nonlinear networks to address RF/microwave circuits with large transistor counts and/or harmonic content

Powerful

Design automation, an intuitive interface, and scripting/customization supports all phases of product development in less time

Integrated

Co-simulation with system, electromagnetic (EM), and mutliphysics simulators provides in-situ parasitic extraction, design verification, thermal analysis, and standards-compliant communication testbenches

Features at a Glance

  • Cadence APLAC® HB Simulator – Proprietary multi-rate HB engine provides robust linear and nonlinear frequency-domain circuit simulation

  • Comprehensive Libraries – Simulation models for discrete and IC-based active and passive devices, and distributed transmission lines

  • EM Analysis – Fully integrated multiple planar and 3DEM analysis solvers for circuit/EM co-simulation, design verification, and in-situ S-parameter extraction

  • Load Pull – State-of-the-art load-pull analysis and design support

  • Stability – Linear and nonlinear stability analysis

  • Thermal – Electrothermal co-simulation technology for MMICs, IC packages, RF PCBs, modules, and RF/microwave systems

  • Synthesis – Impedance-matching and filter-synthesis wizards (options)

Applications

Amplifiers

Advanced design automation and robust HB simulation for fast and accurate nonlinear analysis of RF/microwave circuits help designers meet their amplifier bandwidth, efficiency, and linearity goals. Highly accurate semiconductor device/circuit element models and features such as load-pull analysis and impedance matching network synthesis (optional) allow designers to optimize performance and quickly bring products to market.

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Filters / Passives

Synthesis wizards (optional), including the iFilter™ filter design utility, address early filter development, from distributed filters to more complex multiplexed, high-power, and high-Q cavity filters. The comprehensive distributed transmission line models and vendor component libraries along with EM verification allow passive component designers to meet challenging size, cost, and time-to-market goals.

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Antennas

The software couples seamlessly with EM solvers to simulate antenna metrics such as gain, return loss, radiation efficiency, and currents, and to visualize 2D/3D far-field antenna patterns in support of antenna design, matching circuit development, and integration into RF front-end electronics.

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Mixers

Provides designers of mixers and frequency converters commonly found in superheterodyne receivers with efficient multi-tone, frequency-domain analysis. The superior HB circuit simulation engine offers fast, accurate, and robust convergence to account for the spurious output tones resulting from device non-linearities and leakage.

Resources

Related Products

AWR Design Environment Platform

Electronic design platform providing integrated high-frequency circuit, system, and EM analysis technologies

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AXIEM Analysis

Provides fast, accurate 3D planar EM analysis for S-parameter extraction and design verification

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Analyst Software

Offers fast and accurate finite-element method (FEM) EM analysis for 3D structures/interconnects

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VSS Software

Optimizes system architecture with system simulation and modeling for communications and radar systems

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Cross-Platform Workflows

Meet system complexity challenges with workflows to Cadence Allegro and Virtuoso platforms for RFIC/RF module design across IC, package, and board system design

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AWR Software Options

Optional features added to Cadence AWR Design Environment® platform can enhance engineering productivity, improve product performance, and speed time to market

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Clarity 3D Solver

High-capacity EM analysis fully integrated within the AWR Design Environment platform for design verification and signoff of large, complex RF/ mixed-signal systems

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Celsius Thermal Solver

Accurate thermal conduction and 3D thermal distribution analysis of arbitrary 3D-IC structures, including III-V MMICs and packaged RF power devices

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Getting Started

AWR technology is also available with Cadence OnCloud Platform

Start using Microwave Design tools today

Plan and pricing

RF and microwave design workflows require high-frequency solutions. Utilize the best solutions with powerful, integrated circuit, system, and electromagnetic (EM) software from Cadence.

  • Circuit design software for accurate RF/microwave simulation
  • 3D planar EM analysis for S-parameter extraction and design verification
  • System simulation and modeling for wireless communications and radar systems

90 hours. Named user license.

USD $990/mo

99 Tokens

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Frequently Asked Questions

Powered By
  • Microwave Office
    Microwave Office

    RF-aware layout, high-frequency models, and a powerful harmonic balance (HB) simulator ensure accurate and fast simulation results for first-pass success.

    Learn More
  • AXIEM
    AXIEM

    AXIEM analysis delivers the accuracy, capacity, and speed designers need to characterize and optimize passive components on RF PCBs, modules, LTCCs, MMICs, RFICs, and antennas.

    Learn More
  • Visual System Simulator
    Visual System Simulator

    Wireless design teams apply behavioral, impedance-aware RF models and baseband signal processing blocks to develop and optimize system architectures and determine component specifications for best overall performance.

    Learn More

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