RF and microwave design is no longer confined to a few defense and aerospace EEs huddled in dark cubicles working with spreadsheets and primitive circuit simulators. Now, areas like 5G and automotive demand complex RF systems. Advanced RF and microwave EDA tools are taking on electromagnetic (EM), thermal, and power simulation,… Read More
Higher-order QAM and smarter workflows in VSA 2023
3GPP Release 17 and 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) extend modulation complexity, raising the bar for conformance testing and test instrumentation to new levels. The latest release of Keysight PathWave 89600 Vector Signal Analysis 2023 (VSA 2023) software takes on higher-order QAM and smarter workflows, many customer-requested, for … Read More
Advanced EM simulations target conducted EMI and transients
A vital benefit of advanced EM simulations is their ability to take on complicated physical test setups, substituting far easier virtual tests yielding accurate results earlier during design activities. The latest release of Keysight PathWave ADS 2023 continues speeding up engineering workflows. Let’s look at three… Read More
Seeing 1/f noise more accurately
Electronics noise is often described as “white,” spread evenly across a band, typical on older semiconductor processes where thermal and shot noise dominate. As transistors shrink, “pink” 1/f noise takes over at low frequencies – becoming stronger in advanced processes and quantum computing technology. But it’s not an easy… Read More
Unlocking PA design with predictive DPD
Next up in this series on modulated signals is an example of multi-dimensional EM design challenges: RF power amplifiers (PAs). Digital pre-distortion (DPD) is a favorite technique for linearizing PA performance. Static effects are easy to model and correct, but PAs are notorious for interrelated dynamic effects spoiling … Read More
Shift left gets a modulated signal makeover
Everyone saw Shift Left, the EDA blockbuster. Digital logic design, with perfect 1s and 0s simulated through perfect switches, shifted into a higher gear. But the dark arts – RF systems, power supplies, and high-speed digital – didn’t shift smoothly. What do these practitioners need in EDA to see more benefits from shift left? … Read More
WEBINARS: Board-Level EM Simulation Reduces Late Respin Drama
Advanced board designs are fertile ground for misbehavior in time and frequency domains. Relying on intuition, then waiting until near-final product for power integrity (PI) or EMI testing almost guarantees board respins are coming. Lumped-parameter simulations of on-board power delivery networks (PDNs) struggle with … Read More