Tutorials

Analog/Mixed-Signal Software Tutorials

• icfb setup - How to set up and run Cadence Virtuoso front-to-back IC design toolset for the first time
• Neocircuit setup - Setup for Neocircuit, a sophisticated circuit-optimization tool
• Creating a Parameterized Cell in Cadence - Basic tutorial for creating custom parameterized cells in Cadence

Analog Simulation Techniques

• LNA Performance Simulations - How to simulate a low-noise amplifier using SpectreRF
• Mixer Performance Simulations - How to simulate a mixer using SpectreRF
• VCO Performance Simulations - How to simulate a voltage controlled oscillator using SpectreRF
• Integrated Inductor Design using ADS Momentum - Integrated inductor design procedure using Cadence and ADS Momentum

Cadence 6.1

During the summer of 2011 ISU will be migrating all student labs to Cadence 6.1. Tutorials pertaining to Cadence 6.1 are being created and will appear here during late Spring 2011 semester.

Setup to have your Cadence 6.1 work in Linux servers

1. Edit your .software file (loading the environment setting of the desired tools) in your home directory using

gedit ~/.software

It should include at least MMSIM, ASSURA and IC. CALIBRE and IUS may be included if they are needed. A sample file may be as

MMSIM
CALIBRE
IUS
ASSURA
IC

2. Edit your .cdsenv file (setting the default setup of your Cadence environment) in your home directory

gedit ~/.cdsenv

and add the following scripts to .cdsenv

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Analog Artist Simulation Environment Defaults
; FORMAT: tool[.partition] varName type value private {choices, minmax} comment
;--------------------------------------------------------------------------
asimenv.startup       simulator       string  "spectre"

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------
; Graphics Editor and Design Editor Environment Variables
;--------------------------------------------------------------------------
graphic       drfPath string  "/usr/local/cadence/iclocal/local/cdssetup/display.drf"

;--------------------------------------------------------------------------
; spectre environment variables
;--------------------------------------------------------------------------
spectre.envOpts    modelFiles       string  "$CDK_DIR/models/spectre/standalone/tsmc25N.m \
                                             $CDK_DIR/models/spectre/standalone/tsmc25P.m \
                                             $CDK_DIR/models/spectre/standalone/tsmc35N.m \
                                             $CDK_DIR/models/spectre/standalone/tsmc35P.m \
                                             $CDK_DIR/models/spectre/standalone/ami06N.m \
                                             $CDK_DIR/models/spectre/standalone/ami06P.m"

spectre.envOpts controlMode string "batch"

to set the default simulator as Spectre and set the correct model files for NCSU PDK.

You may also add the following script to setup the default directory to store simulation results.

asimenv.startup       projectDir      string  "~/cadence/simulation"

3. If you are using NCSU PDK, copy cdsinit file to your working directory

cd <path to your working directory>
cp $CDK_DIR/cdssetup/cdsinit .cdsinit

4. If you need to use Calibre, add the following script to your .cdsinit file in the working directory.

;; Calibre setup

;; Load Calibre Skill Interface if environment var is set
mgc_home=getShellEnvVar("MGC_HOME")

if( mgc_home!=nil && isDir(mgc_home) && isReadable(mgc_home) then
    ; Load calibre.skl for Cadence versions 4.4 and greater
    load(strcat(mgc_home "/shared/pkgs/icv/tools/queryskl/calibre.skl"))
else
    ; MGC_HOME is not set
    printf("Calibre Skill Interface not loaded.\n")
)
;; End of Calibre Skill Interface

5. If you ever use $CDS_SITE in your configuration files, define CDS_SITE in your .basrhc file. (You probably need it if you use Cadence 5.4 in the linux servers before July 2011.)

gedit ~/.bashrc

and add

export CDS_SITE /usr/local/cadence/iclocal/local

updated on August 16. 2011

Linux Remote Access

You can remote acess into campus Linux servers listed at http://it.eng.iastate.edu/remote.html. A recommended software tool is NX Client by NoMachine, which can be downloaded at http://www.nomachine.com/download.php. Download the free client for Windows as well as the nxfonts addons. After installing the client, you will go through a wizard process at first launch. Give any name for "Session" and fill in the remote server address for "Host". You may leave everything as default. Lastly, login using your ISU netid and password.