Design strategies versus numerical optimization for analog circuits

A design environment allowing the design analysis and optimization of analog building blocks, such as amplifiers, voltage references, etc., has been developed. There are two main programs: IDAC 3, which performs the design, and ILAC, which performs the layout. Two approaches are possible. The synthesis approach is an imitation of human designers; the design is done following predefined heuristics that may include iterations. The optimization approach uses the downhill simplex numerical optimization algorithm. The relative merits and disadvantages of numerical optimization versus analytical design strategies are discussed