Considerations for an analog and mixed-signal computer-aided design tool

A computer-aided design (CAD) tool is being developed to assist in analog and mixed-signal electronic system design through the use of design optimization. This CAD tool uses technology- and implementation-independent high-level behavioral models. These computationally efficient behavioral models are expressions of the relationships among terminal variables of common electronic, MEMS, photonic, electro-mechanical, and other signal processing functions. These behavioral models include limiting behaviors in the DC, time domain, and frequency domain. These models are not based upon specific semiconductor devices, circuit configurations, or fabrication technologies. Simulations using these computationally efficient behavioral models allow designers of mixed-signal systems to evaluate alternative architectures in less time, at lower computational cost than possible with traditional semiconductor device-level simulation. With an efficient means of evaluating the performance of a mixed-signal system architecture available, we use design optimization to adjust the figures of merit of the behavioral models to achieve the desired terminal characteristics of the overall system architecture.