Spicelink™ Software

Spicelink™ Software is the industry-standard tool for parasitic extraction of arbitrary 3D structures, and from transmission lines given their 2D cross-sections. Spicelink™ Software has achieved this industry recognition, in part, by providing unparalleled accuracy and flexibility. By integrating these electromagnetic simulation capabilities with a SPICE circuit simulator, Spicelink™ Software provides a complete environment for modeling electronic structures. Coupling Spicelink with AnsoftLinks™ Software, a line of interfaces to industry-standard EDA tools, makes for a powerful analysis environment integrated within your existing design flow.

Click here to download the Spicelink™ Software brochure in pdf format.

Spicelink™ Software Key Features

• Field Visualization: Voltage and current levels, electric and magnetic fields, shaded, contour, and line plots
  
• Circuit Parameters: Multi-conductor capacitance and inductance matrices, admittance, and impedance values
  
• SPICE models: Coupled lossless transmission lines, coupled lossy transmission lines, dispersive transmission lines, and lumped (RLC), multi-section lumped, or multipole-accelerated Partial Element Equivalent Circuit (multi-PEEC) RLC subcircuits
  
• Signal-Integrity Parameters: Voltage and current waveforms, delay, crosstalk, characteristic impedance, differential impedance, RLCG parasitics, and ground-bounce waveforms
  
• Export to: PSPICE®, HSPICE®, Berkeley Spice, and IBIS .pkg file format
  
• Import CAD Layouts from: Cadence® Allegro™ Software, Cadence APD™ Software, Synopsys® Encore Software, Mentor® Board Station® Software, and Zuken® CR-5000 Software

Bringing Physics-Based EDA to the Mainstream
Ansoft's electromagnetic solvers generate circuit models of interconnect structures and link them to conventional SPICE circuit simulation. Spicelink™ Software seamlessly integrates the modeling, meshing, and field simulation required for the extraction of RLCG parameters and the generation of equivalent SPICE circuits. Designers can then perform signal-integrity investigations in SPICE to study crosstalk, ground bounce, interconnect delays, ringing, and reflections. No special training in solution techniques is required.

With Spicelink™ Software, designers also have the option to output Partial Element Equivalent Circuits (PEEC). The PEEC method constructs a more complex circuit model that broadens the range over which parasitic extraction can be used, extending it to structures that are electrically longer.

Working as Part of Your Design Flow
Spicelink™ Software sets the standard for modeling ease, simulation, performance, and accuracy. The 2D analysis modules are ideal for structures with uniform cross-sections, such as PCB stack-ups. The 3D analysis modules are designed for non-planar structures, such as connectors, vias, wirebonds, solder balls, and power-distribution grids. The 3D solid modeling tool in Spicelink™ Software allows users to rapidly construct arbitrary 3D geometries.

Spicelink™ Software provides users with the flexibility to choose an appropriate level of modeling detail and performance during each phase of the design process, from technology exploration to post-layout verification. Designers have the option of performing quick pre-layout diagnostics and design variations using Spicelink's drawing tools. By invoking Ansoft's Optimetrics™ module for optimization of planar circuits, engineers can perform sweeps on any set of geometric or material parameters to explore the variation of computed RLC values. Optimization can be used to automatically fine-tune a design to meet user-specified performance goals. Alternatively, the designer can use the AnsoftLinks family of CAD-tool interfaces to import post-route PCB or IC package layout data directly into the field solver for a full 3D verification of layout parasitics. The extracted quantities are exported in matrix format or used to automatically generate accurate SPICE models.

Spicelink™ Software also features an IBIS link module, which converts a driver model in IBIS format to a SPICE-based driver that can be combined with the interconnect models generated in Spicelink to simulate the complete driver/interconnect path. Customers can use the IBIS link to run system-level simulations using IBIS drivers and Ansoft interconnect models to provide system-level, time-domain simulation information, such as delays, overshoot, undershoot, skews, crosstalk, and reflections.