17/09/2010 Agilent ADS Tutorial (Project 1)

UNC Charlotte Agilent ADS Tutorial (Project 1)

Overview
First, form project groups for the semester.

The objective of the tutorial is to become familiar with the basics of Agilent ADS software.

NOTE: Use the Project Report Template and keep answers to questions on consecutive sheets of paper
with all plots at the end.

IN NO CASE may code or files be exchanged between students, and each student must answer the
questions themselves and do their own plots, NO COPYING of any sort! Nevertheless, students are
encouraged to collaborate in the lab session.

Only turn in requested plots ( Pxx ) and requested answers to questions ( Qxx ).

Part 1
Start the software:

From a Linux terminal, ADS should be availabe in the menu (Mosaic->Engineering-

>Electrical->Agilent->ADS)
From a PC terminal, you must first open a remote Linux session, (Start->AllPrograms-
>Mosaic->LinuxConnect->GraphicalSessAuto->LinuxAuto), then proceed as for a Linux
terminal
For snapshots use the Linux menu Graphice::Ksnapshot and select the option to take a legible
snapshot of a window rather than full screen
On occasion, HPADS may have an illegible pop-up pane when you first run ADS. The safe
way to handle this is to proceed to a Linux workstation and read the message. On PC's the
problem is caused by a missing font, and a risky fix is to click the lower left button. In older
software versions, this usually results in choosing the default initialization of RF/digital setup.
Note: (this note may not be valid after 2009) If you find that you have printing problem, see if
you have a file ".XprinterDefaults" in your home directory. Move this file to
".XprinterDefaultsOld", and restart ADS ... it will write a new copy of this file that should enable
printing.
if this does not work, move your current ".XprinterDefaults" file to ".XprinterDefaultsOld", and
try downloading .XprinterDefaults to your home directory. (To download you may need to hold
down the "shift key" while you click on the link.) Select the LPDEST printer by File--
>PrintSetup-->Options and select Default Printer ($LPDEST) on default_queue

Ayfter ADS starts ou should get a starting window similar to this:

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Look at the Agilent quick start and read through the on-line manuals (see the help tab in
ADS), for particular qestions it is usually best to use the help index from the ADS window
MenuBar::Help to search the manuals.
Create a new project "linecalc1" as shown below. Choose the "no help needed" option and
click "finish" in the pop-up.

Access the linecalc program from the tools menu as shown below.

The linecalc tool should appear as shown below.

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Although we have not yet discussed transmission lines, we will use this as a simple
demonstration of ADS tools
Use linecalc to compute the impedance Z0, and the effective dielectric of a microstrip line
W=0.125 inch (125 mils) wide on H=1/16 inch (62.5 mils) FR4 substrate with relative dielectric
constant Er= 4 and with a 1/2 ounce copper (T=0.7 mils thick) of conductivity 6.0E7 S/m. Set
the frequency to 10 GHz, and line length L = 1000 mils (1 inch). A mil is 0.001 inches.

Press the analyze button to compute the line parameters. Note that Z0 gives the line impedance,
K_EFF is the effective dielectric constant, and E_EFF is Effective electrical length of line.

Copy the linecalc window and paste it into your report (see template above). Make sure that it
is legible in your report! YOU MUST ADD CAPTIONS AND FIGURE NUMBERS TO
ALL FIGURES!! ( P1 )
For snapshots use the Linux menu Graphice::Ksnapshot and select the option to take a legible
snapshot of a window rather than full screen

Experiment with other types of transmission lines and different parameters.

Exit the program, File->Exit.

Part 2
Start the software:

Download the following tar-file (you may need to hold down the shift key while you click on
the link):
tpwx1.tar

When ADS first runs, you should have a new directory apps/agilent/ads (or hpeesof/ads or
apps/ads or linux/hpeesof) created in your home directory. Start ADS and find out which
directory your version of ADS automatically opens. (Use the "up arrows" in ADS to step up the
directory structure to figure out where ADS started.) Move the tar-file into the hpeesof/ads (or
apps/agilent/ads or whatever your automatic start-up directory is) directory, and de-tar using the
command
tar -xvf tpwx1.tar

You should find a new directory tpwx1_prj created in hpeesof/ads or linux/hpeesof or

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apps/ads or whatever your default ADS startup directory is.

Run ADS

Go down through the directory tree to ads/tpwx1_prj/networks/rlc1.dsn, and double click

that design file. You should see:

Double-click the schematic in the right half of the window, and the following schematic should
appear.

Save a snapshot of the schematic and turn it in. ( P2 )

Double-click the "gear" icon (shown below) in the upper right of the window to simulate.

The data plotting window shown below should appear.

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Click the "rectangular plot" icon (shown below) in the left of the window to simulate.

Drop the plotting box in the visible area, and in the pop-up window:

Select DataSet -> S(1,1) -> Add -> dB

Select DataSet -> S(2,1) -> Add -> dB
The screen should appear as:

Click OK, and the following S-parameter plot should appear.

S11 is a measure of the reflected wave as a function of frequency. S21 is a measure of gain. S-
parameters will be investigated in greater depth in the next project.

Save a snapshot of this and turn it in. ( P3 )

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Part 3
Install Cadence

From a Linux terminal, ADS should be availabe in the menu (Mosaic->Engineering-

>Electrical->Agilent->ADS)
From a PC terminal, you must first open a remote Linux session, (Start->AllPrograms-
>Mosaic->LinuxConnect->GraphicalSessAuto->LinuxAuto), then proceed as for a Linux
terminal
<><> New Cadence install instructions for Linux, tpw 7/28/09:
See note below if you used cadence before.<>
New users instructions:

on a linux terminal, Mosaic->Engineering->Electrical->Cadence

and it should automatically install Cadence and the NCSU librabries,

Note for previous users of Cadence:

if you were a previous user of cadence on Solaris, you will have to first copy your old
cadence/NCSU directory to your linux home directory, then move your old startup files to a
safe place (.cdsenv .cdsinit .cdsdoc cds.lib .cdsplotinit cadence_startup). Then run the script
above. then, open the new cds.lib file and copy any needed define statements from your old
cds.lib file, making proper changes to adjust for the new linux location directory.
If all goes well, you should see something like:

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Save a snapshot of your Library manage window as above ( P4 )

Create a new library using MenuBar::File::New::Library from librabry manager menu bar and
use the input parameters as shown below to create a 0.5 micron design:

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Next create a new cell in cadence using the MenuBar::File::New::CellView from librabry
manager menu bar and use the input parameters as shown below to create a 0.5 micron design:

Set all layers to be visible using MenuBar::Options::Display and set display levels to Start=0
Stop=32 in the display options pop-up menu.
Select the poly material in the left side of the screen (see below) and ust the
MenuBar::Create::Path command to draw your initials in poly.

Next create a PMOS transistor with the command MenuBar::Create::Instance and select the
following parameters

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<>Placelace the transistor near your initials as follows:

Using MenuBar::Edit::Properties select the transistor and edit the transistor property (3-finger
interdigitated gate) as follows:

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Save a snapshot of your first RFIC Chip Layout with your initials and a 3-finger PMOS
transistor as above ( P5 )
Finally, run a DRC (Design Rules Check) using MenuBar::Verify::DRC and observe the error
summary that appears in the ICFB text window area that opened when you first started
Cadence:

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Dont worry about any errors, just print whatever errors you have as shown above ( P6 )
More tutorials are at a variety of other websites.see also
http://www.eda.ncsu.edu/wiki/NCSU_EDA_Wiki
http://www.cadence.com/support/university/ww_usp.aspx
http://www.ece.umd.edu/~dilli/research/layout/cadencetutorial/cadencedemo9.html
http://www.coe.uncc.edu/~tpweldon/courses/mixsig/cadence.html

Part 4
Look at the Agilent quick start and read through the on-line manuals (see the help tab in ADS), then
answer the following questions and turn them in. It is usually best to use help index accessable from an
ADS window to search the manuals.

In what year did Heinrich Hertz demonstrate radio wave propagation? ( Q1 )

In what year did Marconi make the first transatlantic transmission from Glace Bay Nova
Scotia? ( Q2 )

In 1971, what did Federico Faggin design for Intel? ( Q3 )

Report

NOTE: Use the Project Report Template and keep answers to questions on consecutive sheets of
paper with all plots at the end.

Do not add extraneous pages or put explanations on separate pages unless specifically directed to do
so. The instructor will not read extraneous pages!

Only turn in requested plots ( Pxx ) and requested answers to questions ( Qxx ). All plots must be
labeled P1, P2, etc. and all questions must be numbered Q1, Q2, etc. YOU MUST ADD
CAPTIONS AND FIGURE NUMBERS TO ALL FIGURES!!

Copyright © 2010 T. Weldon

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