White Paper: Nexxim -- Ansoft's New Circuit Simulator For RF, Analog, And Mixed-Signal Design

By Ansoft LLC

Introduction
Nexxim is Ansoft's new circuit simulator that provides fast and accurate solutions for tough analog and mixed-signal circuits. It provides the transistor-level simulation accuracy required for sensitive analog and wireless front-end circuits and the capacity to solve the complexities in modern mixed-signal integrated circuits. Transient and harmonic-balance simulations can be performed from a single netlist using the same time-domain device models for broad simulation and analysis of analog and RF circuits. New numerical algorithms and advanced software engineering combine to deliver orders of magnitude improvement in simulation speed, accuracy, and capacity compared to other commercial simulators. Full compatibility to HSpice netlist format provides full foundry device model support and allows Nexxim to integrate into most EDA flows. Dynamic links to the HFSS electromagnetic field solver provides on-chip passive and IC package modeling. Integration within the Ansoft Designer environment provides schematic capture, netlist generation and editing, simulation, dynamic links to system and planar EM simulation, and results post processing.

This paper introduces Nexxim's capabilities and advantages and describes its use within the general design flow of RF/mixed-signal IC design. It begins with a brief overview of industry trends and requirements for modern circuit simulation and design. Numerous simulation examples are provided, including a 2.4 GHz phase-locked loop (PLL), a complete Bluetooth receiver, a highly nonlinear frequency divider, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Inclusion of Nexxim in the mixed-signal design flow is discussed, followed by a summary of Nexxim's unique features and advantages.

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