Mixed-Signal Analog Circuit Simulator for Multi-Scale Resolution

The availability of non-linear, transient simulation software capable of fast, accurate analysis of advanced, complex RF systems has been a major void in electronic design automation (EDA). Such an analysis is not possible with today’s commercially available time-domain and frequency-domain circuit simulators. Current commercial solutions are unable to provide the detailed circuit response within acceptable computational time. A fundamentally different approach to circuit simulation was undertaken by one of the proposers at UIUC. The so-called latency insertion method (LIM) was introduced as a revolutionary alternative for the fast, accurate, transient analysis of very large circuits.  Thanks to substantial research over the past two decades, LIM has advanced to be one of the most robust and most versatile nonlinear transient simulators available. In addition to SPICE-compatible circuit models for nonlinear devices, LIM can accommodate multi-conductor transmission lines and frequency-dependent black-box multi-ports. A major breakthrough in the advancement of the LIM algorithm was the voltage-in-current formulation, which provided for a virtually unconditionally stable algorithm. These unique attributes make LIM a most promising computational framework on which to build a revolutionary RF circuit simulator to provide the new electronic design and analysis capabilities demanded by this STTR. In order for the LIM framework to achieve its full potential, several critical components need to be integrated into its engine. These relate to device models and modules that will permit it to handle a broad range of design. The objective of this Phase II effort is to carry out and execute these essential steps that will allow the LIM simulator to be a competitive tool in the electronics industry.