Fine-Tune Your Circuits Automatically With PSpice Advanced Analysis
Maximize the performance of your circuit automatically with the Advanced Analysis suite of tools. Advanced Analysis is used in conjunction with PSpice A/D to improve design performance, yield, and reliability. The Advanced Analysis tool suite includes:
- Sensitivity: identifies critical circuit components
- Optimizer: optimizes key circuit components
- Monte Carlo: analyzes statistical circuit behavior and yield
- Smoke: detects component stress
Sensitivity Analysis
Sensitivity identifies which component parameters are critical to the goals of your circuit performance. Sensitivity examines how much each component affects circuit behavior by itself and in comparison to the other components. It also varies all tolerances to create worst-case (minimum and maximum) values.
Use Sensitivity to identify the sensitive components, then export the components to Optimizer to fine-tune the circuit behavior. Also use Sensitivity to identify which components affect yield the most, then tighten tolerances of sensitive components and loosen tolerances of non-sensitive components. With this information you can evaluate yield versus cost trade-offs.
Optimizer
Optimizer analyzes analog circuits and systems, fine-tuning your designs faster than trial and error bench testing can. Optimizer helps you find the best component values to meet your performance goals and constraints. You can specify multiple goals and constraints to handle competing specifications.
Use Optimizer for:
- Improving design performance
- Updating designs to meet new specifications
- Optimizing behavioral models for top-down design and model generation
- Least Squares Quadratic (LSQ) engine: uses a gradient-based algorithm that optimizes a circuit by calculating sensitivities and adjusting parameter values to meet goals
- Modified LSQ engine: uses both constrained and unconstrained minimization algorithms to optimize goals subject to nonlinear constraints
- Random engine: randomly picks values within a specified range and displays misfit error and parameter history
- Discrete engine: used at the end of the optimization cycle to round off component values to the closest commercially available
- Calculating yield based on your specifications
- Calculating statistical data
- Displaying results in a probability distribution function graph
- Displaying results in a cumulative distribution function graph
- Breakdown voltage across device terminals
- Maximum current limits
- Power dissipation for each component
- Secondary breakdown limits
- Junction temperatures
- Pentium 4 (32-bit) equivalent or faster
- Windows XP Professional, Vista Enterprise
- Minimum 512MB (1G or more recommended for XP and Vista Enterprise requirements)
- 300MB swap space (or more)
- CD-ROM drive
- 65,000 color Windows display with minimum 1024 x 768 (1280 x 1024 recommended)
Optimizer includes four engines:
Monte Carlo Analysis
Use Monte Carlo for:
Smoke Analysis
Smoke warns of component stress due to power dissipation, increase in junction temperature, secondary breakdowns, or violations of voltage / current limits. Over time, these stressed components cause circuit failure. Smoke compares circuit simulation results to the component's safe operating limits.
If limits are exceeded, Smoke identifies the problem parameters. Devices can also be de-rated to meet design requirements Use Smoke to identify components exceeding manufacturers' limits:
System Requirements