Overview
Noise Analysis Option uses Berkeley Design Automation’s proprietary Precision Circuit Analysis™ technology to deliver the industry’s first comprehensive noise analysis tool. 

Leveraging Berkeley Design Automation award-winning Analog FastSPICE™ and RF FastSPICE™ technology, Noise Analysis Option includes full transistor-level transient and periodic noise analysis for every type of complex analog and RF circuit, including all ADCs, PLLs, DC:DC converters, frequency synthesizers, and VCOs. The tool is fully compatible with existing flows, produces true SPICE accurate results, and is silicon proven.

Transient Noise Analysis Key Features

• True SPICE accuracy
• 5x-10x faster than any other tool
• 5x-10x higher capacity than any other tool
• Analyzes white noise and flicker noise
• Supports standard netlist, model, and output formats
• Integrated into the Cadence Analog Design Environment

Transient Noise Analysis Target Applications

• ADCs (sigma-delta, pipelined, video, etc.)
• DACs
• PLLs (integer-N and fractional-N)
• Full transmit and receive chains
• Frequency synthesizers

Transient Noise Analysis Technology & Use Model
Transient noise analysis is a universal approach to device noise analysis. It injects random noise for each device noise source at each timestep during transient simulation to produce output waveforms that include realistic noise effects. Post-processing the noisy waveforms translates the noise effect to the frequency domain.

Transient noise analysis is valid for all types of circuits and is the only transistor-level noise analysis technique for non-periodic circuits such as sigma-delta ADCs and frac-N PLLs. Although some traditional SPICE simulators have offered transient noise analysis, the runtimes are so long that the analysis is infeasible for even moderately-complex blocks.

Since this technique is built on transient simulation, the underlying circuit simulator accuracy and performance is critical. Noise Analysis Option utilizes the Berkeley Design Automation Analog FastSPICE circuit simulator to provide true SPICE accuracy 5x-10x faster and 5x-10x higher capacity than transient noise analysis based on traditional SPICE engines.

Noise Analysis Option transient noise analysis is very straightforward to use. It utilizes standard Spectre® or HSPICE® netlists and models, is fully integrated into the Cadence Analog Design Environment, and requires the addition of only 1-2 parameters to a standard transient simulation. It produces the same standard output file formats as Analog FastSPICE and includes sophisticated post-processing capabilities.

Periodic Noise Analysis Key Features

• Periodic steady-state (PSS) convergence with up to 50,000 element capacity
• Periodic noise (PNOISE) analysis with no accuracy or performance tradeoff
• 5x-10x faster than any other tool for complex circuits
• Oscillator phase noise (OSCNOISE) analysis with unmatched accuracy (full stochastic nonlinear analysis)
• OSCNOISE provides node and device noise contribution and impulse sensitivity function (ISF) information for every node.
• Periodic small signal analysis (PAC, PXF)
• Supports standard netlist, model, and output formats
• Integrated into the Cadence Analog Design Environment

Periodic Noise Analysis Target Applications

• >1 GHz, nanometer-scale, CMOS circuits
• Complete transmit and receive chains
• Complex LNA + mixer circuits, including switching mixers
• Power amplifiers (PAs), including digitally modulated and distributed PAs
• Frequency dividers with up to 12 bits
• VCOs (ring-oscillator, LC-tank) including bias and amplifier circuits
• Highly nonlinear and high-Q crystal oscillators with limiters
  

Periodic Noise Analysis Technology & Use Model
Periodic noise analysis (PNOISE) computes the noise of periodically-driven circuits such as mixers, switched-capacitor filters, phase detectors, charge pumps, and dividers. PNOISE analysis is faster than transient noise analysis for these types of circuits and provides additional diagnostic information such as noise source contributions.

Oscillator noise analysis (OSCNOISE/VCONOISE) computes the phase noise of periodic autonomous circuits such as VCOs (LC-tank and ring-oscillator circuits) and crystal oscillators. Oscillator noise analysis is faster than transient noise analysis for this type of circuit and, like periodic noise analysis, can provide noise source contributions.

The Berkeley Design Automation Noise Analysis Option is based on the company’s award winning RF FastSPICE periodic analysis technology. The tool has superior PSS convergence that easily handles circuits that are far to complex for any other tool – up to 50,000 elements. It is the only tool in the industry that always provides true SPICE accuracy with no performance tradeoff. It provides accuracy equivalent to an infinite number of sidebands in other RF simulators and provides 5x – 10x higher performance for circuits that would otherwise need >100 sidebands.

The Noise Analysis Option oscillator noise analysis (OSCNOISE, VCONOISE) provides superior results for complex VCOs and crystal oscillators. It is the only such analysis in the industry based on a full stochastic nonlinear analysis that does not make any approximations. Hence it delivers true SPICE accuracy every run. In addition to providing contribution information for every run, it also uniquely provides Impulse Sensitivity Function (ISF) information for every node every run – automatically with no user interaction or simulation overhead.                

Advanced OSCNOISE/VCONOISE techniques do not make linear approximations that sacrifice accuracy, and also provide impulse sensitivity function (ISF) waveforms for every node, which is very valuable during oscillator phase noise optimization.

Noise Analysis Option periodic noise analysis uses industry standard Spectre® or HSPICE® netlists and models and is fully integrated into the Cadence Analog Design Environment.  It produces the same standard output file formats as RF FastSPICE and includes sophisticated post-processing and analysis capabilities.

Feature Summary

• Analyses: 
• Transient noise analysis
• Periodic analyses: PSS, OSCPSS, VCOPSS, PNOISE, OSCNOISE, VCONOISE, PAC, PXF
• Netlist compatibility
• HSPICE®
• Spectre®
• Model support
• BSIM3, BSIM4, BSIMSOI, MOS1
• Gummel-Poon, Mextram
• HICUM, VBIC, Juncap
• Verilog-A, s-parameter, w-element
• Outputs
• PSF ASCII, PSF binary, tr0
• Nutmeg ASCII, Nutbin, Nutbinf
• Integration
• Comprehensive Cadence® Analog Design Environment (ADE) integration
• Waveform viewer
• WaveCrave™ waveform processor

Platform Support
RF FastSPICE is available for SUN and Linux operating systems.