The role of computational electromagnetic analysis in the RFIC design flow

The current boom in wireless applications has placed significant pressure on today´s RF designers. The drive toward higher frequencies, smaller form factors and ever decreasing design cycles taxes traditional design techniques. To compete in this environment, RF designers must successfully incorporate diverse tools into their design flow. For many RF designers, unfamiliarity with Computational Electromagnetic (CEM) analysis has slowed the adoption of CEM tools into their design process. There are three main obstacles that a designer needs to overcome in order to unlock the full power of an unfamiliar Computer Aided Design (CAD) technique. The first is a basic understanding of the fundamentals of the technique. The second is an understanding of the technique´s range of applicability-in essence, the shortcomings of the technique. The third, and most important, is the ability to make intelligent trade-offs between interdependent parameters that effect how closely the CAD design approximates the real world product. This presentation will attempt to provide some guidance for RF designers who wish to negotiate these obstacles in order to add CEM analysis into their design flow. A brief overview of various CEM techniques will be provided. Particular emphasis will be made on the trade-offs made amongst these techniques. Several design examples will be used to illustrate some of the more fundamental issues that arise when applying CEM design techniques in the realm of RFIC design.