PathWave ADS 2019 adds new technologies and capabilities for RF and Microwave, High-Speed Digital and Power Electronics applications including RFPro, the new integrated EM simulation environment for RF circuit designers; SmartMount nested technology, avoidance routing, improved workspace management, Momentum, FEM, circuit & electro-thermal simulation enhancements, and much more.

RFPro - New EM Simulation Environment for Circuit Design

RFPro is the next generation electromagnetic (EM) simulation platform for RF and Microwave circuit designs. RFPro revolutionizes RFIC, MMIC & RF Module design for 5G Wireless, Aerospace-Defense, Automotive and IoT applications by seamlessly integrating EM with circuit simulation to become the industry’s first EM simulation platform dedicated to RF/Microwave circuit designs.

Seamlessly integrated with PathWave ADS 2019, RFPro makes performing EM analysis as easy as running circuit simulations, with predictive expert settings that used to be configured by dedicated EM simulation experts.

Figure 1. RFPro new EM environment makes running EM analysis as easy as circuit simulation, allowing interactive EM-Circuit simulation, tuning and optimization for RF Module, MMI, RFIC and RF Board design.

PathWave ADS Design Environment

• New Utility to manage and share workspaces
• SmartMount: easily assemble multiple technologies

Figure 2. SmartMount technology allows easy- drag-and-drop definition of nested technologies in RF Module design.

• Call Python scripts directly from Data Display

Figure 3. Python Scripting enables 3D Smith Chart to be plotted from Data Display for PA design.

• Silicon RFIC PDK Model Include Utility

Layout & Verification

• DRC-compliant avoidance routing
• Interactive DRC avoidance routing allows PathWave ADS users to route complex modules or packages while ensuring proper net connection and spacing compliance
• DRC Capacity & Performance Improvements

Electro Magnetic Simulation

• RFPro: New EM Environment for Circuit Designers

Figure 4. RFPro is the new EM simulation environment for circuit designers.

• FEM Performance & Parallel Simulation improvement

Circuit Simulation

• Improved speed for linear simulations
• Access to the latest 5GNR virtual testbenches
• Dramatic improvements in modulated simulations runtime
• Accelerate modulated signals simulations (VTBs) with Fast Envelope
• Silicon RFIC Interoperability Enhancements

Electro-Thermal Simulation

• New auto-setting improves resolution
• Split heat-source across layers in Z dimension
• Floor planner local batch mode support
• Ambient temperature sweeping

Figure 5. More accurate Electro-Thermal Simulation from Z-dimension split heat source.

Silicon RFIC PDK Model Include Utility

• Provides standard and easy way to setup PDK Model Sections for circuit simulation
• Simplifies PDK implementation for PathWave ADS 
• Provides scenario management (i.e., scenarios can be saved and shared among designers)

Power Electronics (PE)

• Added logic gates (analog behavioral), 5-pin opamp, and circuit averaging technique to W2375 Power Electronics Library
• Added PE option to Work Flow Configurations
• New example: Buck Converter with Current Programmed Control

Signal Integrity and Power Integrity Simulation

• PathWave ADS to FlexDCA Connected Flow – seamlessly transfer waveforms from PathWave ADS to FlexDCA using a new dedicated probe
• IBIS-AMI Back Channel Interface – enables automatic negotiation of EQ settings between Tx and Rx models
• SIPro – New Virtual Pins – allows refinement of port pin placement
• SIPro – Simulator uses thermal properties for materials
• PIPro Thermal and DC Eletro-Thermal simulators have significant speed-up and memory reduction (Beta Functionality)

Learn More

View other ADS Product Versions.

Learn more about Keysight Advanced Design System (ADS)