Description

This page describes a new package which allows for importing data from Cadence 's Analog Design Environment into Analog Insydes. Analog Artist session data (netlist information, operating-point, small-signal, and device-model data) can be converted to Analog Insydes syntax and imported for further symbolic analyses. The integration package builds on top of Analog Insydes 2.1, so you may need to update Analog Insydes 2.0 in order to run the Cadence integration package. Analog Insydes 2.0 already comes which the interfacing command ReadNetlist which allows for importing netlist data from PSpice, Saber, and Eldo. The Analog Insydes command ReadNetlist, written in Mathematica code, translates the external netlist format to Analog Insydes format. The strategy for the new Cadence integration package is different: Using the OASIS Direct Netlister capabilities of the Cadence environment, an Analog Insydes netlister written in SKILL/Lisp code translates the Analog Artist netlist (and additional data from the current design) from within your current Artist session into native Analog Insydes syntax. This generated Analog Insydes netlist file is then further processed by applying the ReadNetlist option setting Simulator -> "AnalogArtist". By this, all data needed for symbolic and numerical analyses with Analog Insydes are provided.
The work is done by the following subpackages:

Cadence framework subpackage: This subpackage contains the netlister which converts Analog Artist session data into Analog Insydes syntax. It is written in SKILL/Lisp and is based on the OASIS Direct Netlister. All necessary data is extracted from the current Artist analysis. Additionally, there is some GUI code which allows for starting and configuring the netlister using a GUI window.

Library subpackage: The above mentioned Cadence framework subpackage registers the new tool "AnalogInsydes" in the Cadence framework. Thus, the symbol libraries must be equipped with additional simulator information for this tool. The Library subpackage contains a modified version of Cadence's analogLib which contains extended simInfo fields for the simulator "AnalogInsydes". Additionally, there is a SKILL file analogLib_AnalogInsydes.il which allows for modifying an existing library without using Cadence's graphical CDF editor.

Download and Installation

The Cadence integration package is currently under development. You can download the current running version (as Free Software under the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public License ) as tar ball. The download archive contains the above mentioned subpackages needed for the Cadence integration along with some demonstration examples.

Analog Insydes/Cadence DFII Integration Version 1.0 (1.1 M)

Note that to use the DFII integration package in your Cadence DFII environment, you must have licenses for the Analog Design Environment (Analog Artist), Spectre, and the OASIS Runtime Environment. In particular, the OASIS license is important because it is needed for integrating foreign simulators. To make sure that you have this license, check whether your Cadence license file contains a line with the substring "OASIS" or if there is a license feature no. 32100.

1. Preparing your Cadence environment

   Before running the Analog Insydes netlister for the first time, you must register "Analog Insydes" as target simulator in your Cadence DFII environment. This requires creating two empty files in the customization directory of your Cadence installation tree using the following Unix commands:

               touch $CDSINSTALL_PATH/local/hnl/AnalogInsydes.ile
               touch $CDSINSTALL_PATH/local/si/caplib/AnalogInsydes.ile
             

   Ask your Cadence site administrator to do that for you, if you do not have the necessary privileges.

2. Installing the package files

   It is recommended to use your home directory as installation directory. In this installation instruction it is assumed that you follow that recommendation. To install the Cadence integration package unpack the archive file by typing

             cd $HOME
             tar -zxvpf aicds-1.0.tar.gz
           

   (You may have to use different options depending on the tar version implemented on your system.) This creates the following file structure:

             $HOME/aicds-1.0/README
             $HOME/aicds-1.0/INSTALL
             $HOME/aicds-1.0/COPYING
             $HOME/aicds-1.0/aicds/
           

   If you have chosen an installation directory other than recommended, you have to adapt the two script files

             YOUR_INSTALLATION_ROOT/aicds-1.0/aicds/aicds.bash  
             YOUR_INSTALLATION_ROOT/aicds-1.0/aicds/aicds.csh
           

   accordingly.

Operating Instructions

Go to the directory $HOME/aicds-1.0/aicds and source the file aicds.bash or aicds.csh, then run icfb. Make sure that icfb autoloads the file $HOME/aicds-1.0/aicds/.cdsinit. If it does not, load the file manually from within the CIW: load ".cdsinit". Now start the library manager and open one of the demo designs, e.g. mosdiffampSim. Launch an Analog Artist session with Spectre and load the corresponding Artist state. After running a simulation, click on the Analog Artist banner menu item Tools/AnalogInsydes:

This will open the following form:

Click on Create to generate an Analog Insydes netlist out of your current Spectre session. The netlist file is named input.m and is located in the subdirectory symbolic below the simulation run directory of your current Artist session. Within Mathematica you can use the Analog Insydes command ReadNetlist to import the created netlist.

You will also find information on the Cadence integration package at the following unofficial Analog Insydes Developers' Corner:

Developers' Corner