Cadence Online Support Features
Setting the Release Preferences for your search results: The documents in the search results page often support multiple releases. You now have the option to set preferred release(s) for your default search on the home page search. Check out My Support – My Accounts and Preferences, Release Preferences. For example, you may set “IC 6.1.6” as the preferred release and ensure that the search results page displays IC 6.1.6 documents as the default out of multiple values.
Also, use My Support->What's New to learn about additional new features in COS.
Application Notes
Setting up Liberate MX for Various Usage Models: This application note is intended to assist you to understand the purpose and method of Liberate MX and to guide you to choose the usage model that best suits the design that they are characterizing.
Rapid Adoption Kits
PVS Configurator: PVS Configurator in PVS 15.1. Using configuration files and letting the designers make choices and save them for subsequent runs is an effective way to provide the options to the designer. Using a configuration file also lets the designers choose options directly from the main rule file supplied by the foundry.
Precompiled libraries and Automatic Package handling by UNL for AMS Simulations from Virtuoso ADE: HDL languages require file/library-specific options/bindings that must stay consistent throughout the design development cycle. The use of Verilog/VHDL packages need careful attention and are better managed as precompiled objects and are shared between all source codes requiring them. Design cycles can be better optimized by reusing precompiled objects and sharing them with multiple design groups.
Crystal Oscillator Simulation using SpectreRF: Crystal Oscillator is one of the class of oscillators that brings its own challenges to simulate. One of the key challenges it brings to simulate is a long startup time. The purpose of this document is to make suggestions regarding best practices for simulating crystal oscillators. A database composed of the circuits needed to reproduce these results is provided separately. This RAK demonstrates a method to do Crystal Oscillator simulation using SpectreRF Analyses. Initially a transient analysis is done and then Hb/Hbnoise analysis is used to determine the oscillation frequency and the phase noise of the oscillator.
PVS-Based Constraint Checking in Constraint Manager: This RAK steps through the PVS-Based Constraint checking in Constraint Manager. What you will learn: An example to validate routing constraint.
Virtuoso Floorplanner - API/SKILL Based Flow: The Floorplanner flow increases layout productivity through improved floorplanner functionality aimed at block-level interconnect. Instead of using GUI commands, we can use SKILL APIs to generate a physical hierarchy (layout from schematic in a hierarchical manner) in Virtuoso Floorplanner flow.
Videos
Training Bytes (new or updated videos from the following Training Courses):
- High-Performance Simulation Using Spectre Simulators vMMSIM14.1 with IC616
- Real Modeling with SystemVerilog vINCISIVE14.2
- Virtuoso Layout Pro
- Virtuoso Space-Based Router
- Physical Verification System v15.1
Making a layout XL-compliant using Update Binding (XLME): Often layout engineers have existing or legacy layouts that they wish to use in VLS XL to take advantage of the connectivity-driven flow. With turnaround time increasingly important, the ability to reuse an existing layout in an advanced, connectivity-driven environment is necessary. With the introduction of the Update Binding functionality in IC6.1.6, it is now possible to quickly make a legacy layout fully XL-compliant. This is required to access the advanced functionality of layout XL and GXL. What you will learn: What is XL-compliance; Checking XL-compliance; Update Binding; Update Binding using the output of a PVS LVS run.
Creating Stripes Using Power Router: This video demonstrates power routing GUI and the SKILL rtePowerRouteStripes command.
Solutions
How to define compiler directive macro to run digital corner sweep in ADE XL? You have compiler directive macros defined in your digital code. You want to define these macros as a sweep in ADE XL to run digital corners in ADE XL, how to do this?
How to find the signal name saved using wildcard operator with save statement in spectre? You are using wildcards in Spectre for saving signals selectively and thus reducing runtime, memory usage and disk space. If you use wildcard as following, "save *", it will save all node voltages and in spectre.out file you will get following message concerning wildcard match summary: Wildcard match summary: save * nodes: 68. You want to get the name of all the nodes saved using wildcard operator. How to get this information?
How to prompt user to select Job Policy based on particular run mode in ADE XL? You have set a default Job Policy for ADE XL say "Def_Job_Policy". Unless user change, this Job Policy will be used for all run modes in ADE XL. But for "Monte Carlo" simulations you have defined a Job Policy say "MC_Policy" which is preferred for running Monte Carlo simulations. Switching in different run modes user may forget to change the Job Policy while running Monte Carlo simulation. You would like to prompt user with option to selected "MC_Policy" when running Monte Carlo simulation.
Elapsed time slower in OCEAN than in ADE: You are running a simulation in an OCEAN script which you are loading from the CIW. You are finding that the elapsed time of the simulation is significantly slower than when run from within ADE. You've checked the netlist (e.g., input.scs) between the two runs and they are identical. What could be the reason for this, and is there a workaround?
Virtuoso Schematic Editor, Edit Properties form does not display evaluated value of pPar and iPar expressions. How to know evaluated value of such expressions? I have a CDF parameter named Area for one of the nmos4 symbol. Its value is iPar(l) * iPar(w), i.e., length X Width of the instance. I want to know the evaluated value of the given instance Area parameter. Since Edit Properties can't show it I am looking for alternate means to know the value. Possibly a label or annotation. Is there a way to display evaluated values of iPar and pPar expressions present on an instance CDF parameter?
FAQ: Spectre RF Convergence Tips for Shooting PSS Analysis: The article is divided into four sections:
- Section 1: General aspects of steady-state computations
- Section 2: Common problems
- Section 3: Special considerations for oscillators
- Section 4: Advanced debugging and convergence assist techniques
How to turn on "Save data to allow family plot" by default in Monte Carlo options form in ADE XL? You are running Monte Carlo simulations from ADE XL. You would like to set "Save Data to Allow Family Plot" ON by default.
New ie card gui makes customizing connect rules easier You are using AMS Designer in ADE. You want to customize the connect rules. Using Built in rules, this is very cumbersome. You need to edit the same information for every connect module.
SKILL script to run simulation at preset timing Due to lack of simulation licenses, it is sometimes desired to run simulations at preset timings (e.g., after midnight, etc) when more simulation licenses are available. This article contains a SKILL script which allows a user to run a simulation for various simulators (e.g. ams, spectre, etc) at a future date and time. The script uses linux "at" cmd to schedule a time for executing "runSimulation" file in the simulation directory.