EM simulator spreads coverage

Electromagnetic field simulator gains finite-element-based DC solver optimised for extraction of power rail geometry in complex low-voltage/high-current PCB and package designs.

Ansoft Corp has released a new version of SIwave, its full-wave electromagnetic field simulator optimised for signal-integrity, power-integrity and EMI analysis of high-speed PCBs and complex IC packages.

The new release features a fast and efficient finite-element-based DC solver optimised for extraction of power rail geometry in complex low-voltage/high-current PCB and package designs.

Engineers can view voltage and current distributions in all relevant geometry including vias and bond wires.

In addition, users have access to voltage drop and current flow information through all layout elements (vias, bond wires, sources, resistors, inductors etc) in tabular format, allowing engineers to quickly identify design rule violations.

SIwave v3.5, leveraging Ansoft's industry-leading adaptive mesh refinement technology, allows users to find layout problems quickly and warns of possible bond wire and via electromigration damage prior to the fabrication of a prototype.

"SIwave is a key technology for enabling the new era of mixed-signal electronics design driven by form-factor, functionality and integration", says Dr Zoltan Cendes, Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Ansoft.

"Extreme integration in wireless handheld devices, for example, creates new challenges for RF performance, system signal integrity, system-level EMI, low power and communications reliability".

"SIwave, combined with HFSS, Nexxim and DesignerSI, form a system design platform capable of addressing these challenges".

SIwave accurately simulates the electromagnetic behaviour of complex PCBs and IC packages, including multiple, arbitrarily shaped power and ground layers and any number of vias and signal traces.

The resulting full-wave S-,y- or z-parameters or gigahertz-bandwidth circuit model is used in concert with time- and frequency-domain analyses within Nexxim and DesignerSI or third-party Spice-compatible circuit tools.

Engineers use SIwave to extract a model for the complex interactions among traces on the board, the coupled impedances within the IC package and between package pins and the PCB.

That model can then be used in a top-level circuit simulation to characterise the nonlinear behaviour of an IC, including the package and board parasitics.

This chip-package-board cosimulation is critical for reliable integrated electronics system performance.

SIwave v3.5 is available on the following operating systems: Microsoft Windows XP Professional; Windows XP Professional x64 Edition; Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition; Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition; and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 and 4.

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