Agilent Technologies Inc. has added new budget analysis capability to its advanced design system (ADS) 2004A electronic design automation (EDA) software that enables engineers to design RF systems more quickly and accurately. This software feature predicts RF system performance by considering specification trade-offs, such as impedance mismatch vs. gain, earlier in the design cycle. In the past, RF design budgeting was achieved mainly through spreadsheet-based analysis, a time-consuming and often cumbersome process.

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"Integrating RF budget analysis into our Advanced Design System gives RF system designers an accurate, efficient way to analyze parts of the system and use the results in the overall system design," said Joe Civello, product marketing manager of Agilent's EEsof EDA Division. "Our customers appreciate the integration because it eliminates the tedium of entering data and maintaining spreadsheets when calculating and analyzing RF budgets."

Agilent ADS software offers a complete set of front-to-back simulation and layout tools and instrument links for RF and microwave IC design in a single, integrated design flow. The budget analysis feature supports multiple hierarchy and transistor-level subnetworks, allowing system and circuit designers to analyze designs in a single environment using a wide range of system and circuit components. It provides an intuitive interface for setting up simulations and for selecting from more than 40 built-in measurements for analysis of two-port network topologies.

Budget analysis measurements include signal, noise and system-chain, non-linear measurements such as third-order intercept point. Complex systems such as automatic gain control (AGC) loops also can be analyzed using budget analysis. The results of the selected measurements can be displayed in plots and tables or exported as an ASCII text file for use with external spreadsheet software.

The budget analysis capability is included with the Agilent ADS 2004A harmonic balance and RF system simulator licenses. The Agilent ADS 2004A is available now, with prices starting at approximately $8400.