CS/EE 5720/6720 Analog IC Design

Tutorial for Schematic Design and Analysis using Spectre

Introduction to Cadence EDA:
The Cadence toolset is a complete microchip EDA (Electronic Design Automation)
system, which is intended to develop professional, full-scale, mixed-signal microchips.
The modules included in the toolset are for schematic entry, design simulation, data
analysis, physical layout, and final verification. The Cadence tools at our university are
the same as those at most every professional mixed-signal microelectronics company in
the United States. The strength of the Cadence tools is in its analog
design/simulation/layout and mixed-signal verification and is often used in tandem with
other tools for digital design/simulation/layout, where complete top-level verification is
done in the Cadence tools.

An important concept is that the Cadence tools only provide a framework for doing
design. Without a foundry-provided design kit, no design can be done. The design rules
used by Cadence set up in this class is based for AMIs C5N process (0.5 micron 3 metal
2 poly process).
So, how is Cadence set up?
Broadly, there are three sets of files that need to be in place in order to use Cadence.
1) The Cadence tools
These are the design tools provided by the Cadence company. These tools are
located in the /home/cadence directory. They are capable of VLSI integration,
project management, circuit simulation, design rule verification, and many other
things (most of which we won't use).
2) The foundry-based design kit
As mentioned before, the Cadence tools have to be supported by a foundry-based
design kit. In this class, we use Cadence design kit developed by the North
Carolina State University (NCSU CDK). NCSU CDK provides an environment
that has been customized with several technology files and a fair amount of
custom SKILL code. These files contain information useful for analog/fullcustom digital CMOS IC design via the MOSIS IC fabrication service
(http://www.mosis.org). This information includes layer definitions (e.g. colors,
patterns, etc.), parasitic capacitances, layout cells, SPICE simulation parameters,
Diva rules for Design Rule Check (DRC), extraction, and Layout Versus
Schematic (LVS) verification, with various GUI enhancements.
For more information on the capability of the NCSU CDK, go to
http://www.eda.ncsu.edu/wiki/NCSU_CDK

This design kit is located in the /home/cadence/ncsu/local directory. All the

design parameters that are needed by the Cadence tools are located in various files
in the sub-directories you will find here. The nominal spice parameters for n type
transistors for AMIs 0.5 micron process used in this class can be found in
/uusoc/facility/cad_common/NCSU/CDK1.5.utah/models/spectre/nom/ami06N.m
3) The set up files in your local cadence directory
There are set up files that should be in your local Cadence directory (i.e. the
directory from which you invoke Cadence) that sets up the required local
environmental variables for Cadence to work on your computer terminal. They
are as follows:
.cdsinit, .cdsplotinit, .simrc (sets up the variables to be used by NCSU CDK)
.cdsenv (not essential, but sets your preferences which can be different from user
to user)
Also we need a .cshrc file to source the current version of cadence we are using in
this class.
Now, of the three sets of files, the first two sets containing the cadence tools and the
NCSU CDK have been already set up by the Cadence Administrators for the class. In this
tutorial, the process of setting up the required files in your local cadence directory is
explained.

Setting up Cadence
Note: People who have already set up Cadence before still need to follow the steps
below.
Before you start using cadence you need to complete the following steps:
1. First, before anything else, make a directory from which to run Cadence. This is
important so that all of Cadences files end up in a consistent location. I
recommend making an IC_CAD directory and then under that making a cadence
directory:
cd
mkdir IC_CAD
mkdir IC_CAD/cadence
2. You need to add the following lines in your .tcshrc file (or whatever shell setup
file you use) Just open it up with emacs and add to your search path:
/uusoc/facility/cad_common/local/bin/F09
For example, your .tcshrc file may look something like this after adding the line
above:

set path = ($path\

/usr/bin\
/usr/local/bin\
/bin\
/uusoc/facility/cad_common/local/bin/F09)
Adding this line will update your search path to include the path of the
customized CAD tool startup scripts.
Then, below the search path, add the following lines:
setenv ICDIR IC_CAD
setenv CADENCEDIR $ICDIR/cadence
setenv LOCAL_CADSETUP /uusoc/facility/cad_common/local/class/6710/F09

The first two lines set your working directory for cadence as IC_CAD/cadence.
The third line sets up the path to a directory that contains class-specific settings.
After you save this file you can log out and log in again, or you can source it from
the command prompt in the following way.
:~> source .tcshrc
The sourcing only needs to be done the first time. After that the .tcshrc file will be
sourced automatically when you log in and start up a shell.

Starting Cadence and Making a new Working Library

Now that you have your own Cadence directory (called IC_CAD/cadence if youve
followed the directions up to this point), you need to remember to connect to this
directory before you start the Cadence tools. That way Cadence will see the init files that
youve put in that directory, and find the circuits youve designed since all the design
files will be stored in this directory. In order to organize your new circuits, you now need
to create a new library using the Cadence library manager to hold your design files.
1. Connect to your class cadence directory (cd ~/IC_CAD/cadence) and run the
command cad-ncsu (NCSU stands for North Carolina State University in case youre
curious). You should get a window (called the Command Information Window CIW) as
shown below:

2. Library Manager will automatically be opened. If not, in the CIW, select Tools
Library Manager. You should get the following window, with the following list of
libraries:

3. In order to build your own schematics, youll need to define your own library to keep
your own circuits in. To create a new working library in the library manager, select File
New Library. In the Create Library window that appears fill in the Name field as
ECE5720 (or whatever youd like to call your library). Select Attach to existing tech
library for Technology Library. Select UofU AMI 0.6u C5N (3M, 2P, high-res)
process and press OK. Path field is left blank.

NOTE: This may take a few minutes to execute

Now the working library has been created. All the project cells (components) that you
generate should end up in this library. When you start up the Library Manager to begin
working on your circuits, make sure you select your own library to work in.

Creating a New Cell

When you create a new cell (component in the library), you actually create a view of the
cell. For now well be creating schematic views, but eventually youll have other
different views of the same cell. For example, a layout view of the same cell will have
the composite layout information in it. Its a different file, but it should represent the
same circuit. This will be discussed later in more details. For now, were creating a
schematic view. To create a cell view, carry out the following steps:

Creating the Schematic View of an RC filter

1. Select File New Cell View from the Library Manager menu or to

the CIW menu. The Create New File window appears. The Library Name
field is ECE5720. Fill in the Cell Name field as RC_filter. Choose
Composer - Schematic from the Tool list and the view name is automatically
filled as Schematic. The library path file is automatically set. Click OK.

2. A blank window called Virtuoso Schematic Editing: ECE5720 RC_filter

Schematic appears.
3. Adding Instances
An instance (either a gate from the standard cell library, or a cell that youve
designed earlier) can be placed in the schematic by selecting Add Instance
or by pressing i, and the following Component Browser window appears:

4. For this example, we need to add the following components: Capacitor of 1 F

and two resistors of 1k ohm and 10k respectively. To add a capacitor of 1 F,
select the NCSU_Analog_Parts Library and the R_L_C sub-menu. (You may
or may not have the R_L_C sub-menu.) Choose cap in the menu that appears.
This opens the Add Instance window:

Now, enter the capacitance value of 1u F and hit Hide. Place the capacitor in the
schematic window.
Other instances can be added in the similar fashion as above. Resistors can be found
in R_L_C res. Enter the required resistor value.
To come out of the instance command mode, press Esc. (This is a good command to
know about in general. Whenever you want to exit an editing mode that youre in, use
Esc. I sometimes just hit a bunch of Escs whenever Im not doing something else
just to make sure Im not still in a strange mode from the last command. )
5. Connecting Instances with Wires
To connect the different instances with wires we select Add Wire (narrow) or
press w to activate the wire command. Now go to the node of the instance and
left-click on it to draw the wire and left-click on another node to make the
connection. If you need to end the wire at any point other than a node (i.e. to add
a pin later on), double left-click at that point. To come out of the wire command

mode, press Esc.

6. Adding Pins
Pins can be added by going to Add Pin or pressing p. For example, to
put two input pins In & gnd, we can fill in the Pin Names field as In gnd (with a
space) and the Direction list as input.
Now go to the wire where you need to place the pin and left-click on it.

Also, add the output pin Out in a similar way.

7. Other Command Functions
Some common command modes and functions available under the Add and Edit
menus in cadence are:
Under Add Menu:
Add Wire (wide) or press W ---------- to add a bus
Add Wire name or press l ---------- to name wires
Add Note Note Text or press L ------------ to add a note
Under Edit Menu:
Edit Undo or press u
Edit Stretch or press s
Edit Copy or press c
Edit Move or press m
Edit Delete or press Delete Key
Edit Rotate or press r
Edit Fit or press f
There are some command modes and functions available under the Window
menu also.

8. Using all the commands given above the schematic of a RC_filter can be
constructed as shown below.

9. Checking and Saving the Design

The design can be checked and saved by selecting Design Check and Save or
by pressing F8. For an error free schematic, you should get the following
message in the CIW,
Extracting RC_filter schematic
Schematic check completed with no errors.
ECE5720 RC_filter schematic saved.
Note: The CIW should not show any warnings or errors when you check and
save.

Creating a Symbol View of the RC_filter

You have now created a schematic view of your RC_filter. Now you need to create a
symbol view if you want to use that circuit in a different schematic.

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1. In the Virtuoso schematic window of the schematic you have created above,
select Design Create Cell View From Cell View. A Cell View from
Cell View window appears, press OK.

2. In the Virtuoso Symbol Editing window that appears, make modifications to

make the symbol look as below. Replace [@partname] with the name RC_filter
and move gnd pin to the bottom side of the cell. You may delete
[@instanceName]. Save the symbol and exit using Window Close.

3. Now the RC_filter is ready to be used in other schematics.

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Analysis using Spectre

To simulate this circuit with an analog simulator, you need to tell the simulator what
voltages youll be using for your signals. Youll need to use voltage sources that drive
the analog simulation right into the schematic and then simulate the schematic with the
analog simulator. In this case, the test fixture is the separate schematic that has the circuit
you want to test, and the voltage sources that power it up.
Make a new schematic view under the library ECE5720 and name it RC_filter_test.
Choose Add Instance or press i and choose the library - ECE5720, Menu
uncategorized which will lead to sub-menu RC_filter. Place this in the new schematic
editor.
We intend to do a transient (time domain), ac (frequency domain) and a dc sweep
simulation. Hence we need to add three different types of voltage sources as input to the
filter (all stacked up in series as shown below). Of these, only one would be active
during each type of simulation; the others would be shorted.

1. The input voltage source for transient simulation will be vpulse (taken from
NCSU_Analog_parts library, menu: Voltage_Sources) with the following
specifications: this source will generate pulses from 0V to 5V with the given

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pulse width and period. Notice that we assign it a finite rise and fall time which
means that the change from 0V to 5V (or back) isnt instant, it takes some time.
This is a better model for the analog behavior of the circuit than a pure square
wave.
Voltage 1
Voltage 2
Delay time
Rise time
Fall time
Pulse Width
Period

0v
5v
0u s
2u s
2u s
5m s
10m s

2. The input voltage source for AC simulation will be vsin (taken from
NCSU_Analog_parts library, menu: Voltage_Sources) with the AC magnitude
set to 1 V.
3. The input voltage source for DC simulation will be vdc (taken from
NCSU_Analog_parts library, menu: Voltage_Sources). No other specifications
need to be entered, as we will be sweeping this voltage value.
4. The ground connection to be selected is gnd (found at NCSU_Analog_parts
library, menu: Supply_Nets). Note there are a many types of ground connections
in the sub-menu. Make sure you only select gnd.
5. Connect all the symbols with wires. Add the output pin Out as well as label the
input and output wires (Add Wire Name or press l and place the label on the
wire)
6. i If there are no errors found, your schematic is ready for Spectre Simulation.
Simulation Using Analog Environment
In the Schematic Editor, select Tools Analog Environment. In the Virtuoso Analog
Design Environment Simulation Window that appears, there are many kinds of
simulators and analysis methods. We have set the default to SpectreS simulation and
also have set the corresponding model paths and scaling factor. All you need to do in this
window is to select the type of analysis you need and then select the nodes at which you
want to observe the waveforms. You are encouraged to play around with the various
menus and figure out how they make can your analysis easy and interesting.

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For transient analysis:

On selecting Analyses menu, select tran to perform transient analysis. Transient
analysis means that you want to simulate the behavior of the circuit over time, as opposed
to a dc operating condition in a steady state or a linearized ac frequency-domain analysis.
The stimuli has a period of 10 ms, therefore choose a Stop Time of 20 ms (type 20m in
the box) to get a simulation over two complete periods. Click OK.

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The nodes to be plotted directly after simulation can now be chosen by selecting Outputs
To Be Plotted Select on Schematic.
Select the wires to be plotted (in this case the In and Out voltages of the RC filter), by
clicking on them in the schematic window. When you click on a wire (the blue line), the
voltage is chosen to be plotted, and the wire changes color. To plot currents, you will
need to click on the corresponding terminal of an instance and there will be a colored
circle around that terminal to indicate a current marker.
There are two formats of waveforms to choose from. The default setting will not produce
plots that look like those in the tutorials. If you would like to make the plots look like
those in the tutorials, in the Virtuoso Analog Design Environment, select Session
Options and change the Waveform Tool from WaveScan to AWD, then click OK. Either
plotting format is acceptable, however, AWD format lacks measurement tools that are
found in the WaveScan format.
Now choose Simulation Run or hit the green traffic lights on the right hand side of
the window. The simulation starts. Wait for the simulation to complete. A Waveform
Window containing 2 curves on top of each other will be now displayed. To get a better
view of the simulated result, press the switch axis mode-button
side of the waveform window.

located on the left

The following Waveform Window showing the input and output of the RC filter is now
displayed:

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Take a moment to explore the features available in the Waveform Window. Use the
zoom option (by typing z), and magnify an edge. Measure the time between two points
using the A and B markers.
For DC sweep of the input:
You may first want to delete or disable your previous analysis. This can be done by
selecting the analysis that you want to disable/delete and then looking for options under
Analyses. You may also disable/delete the IN waveform from being plotted for the ac
and dc analyses.
Now, choose dc under the Analyses menu. Select Component Parameter as the sweep
variable. Click on the Select Component button and the RC_filter schematic is
opened in order to select the sweep variable (You may have to click it twice before the
schematic shows up. If you are unable to see the circuit in the schematic editor then
select the schematic window and press f). Select the vdc voltage source. This activates
another window as shown below. Select the DC voltage option.

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Now, again select the Analyses menu. It should look like this:

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Enter the sweep range (0 V to 5 V) and sweep type (Linear with step size 0.1 V) as
shown above. Run the simulation.

Your output should look something like this:

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For AC analysis and Bode plots:

1. You may want to disable the other analyses first and select only OUT
waveform to be plotted.

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2. Analyses > Choose > ac > Frequency

3. Start-Stop > Start: 1 Stop: 1M
4. Sweep Type > Logarithmic 10 points per decade

5. Simulation > Run

6. You will get a plot of Out vs frequency which looks like the figure below.
Note: This is not a conventional Bode plot. We must take 20log10(out) to get
the proper plot.

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7. In the Waveform Window, select Curves > Edit (select /Out and delete it).
8. Now in the Design Environment Window, select Tools > Calculator > vf
(this would open the schematic window).
9. In the schematic, select Out.
10. In the Calculator Window you should get VF(/Out).
11. Next select dB20.
12. In the Calculator Window you should get dB20(VF(/Out)).
13. Now select plot. You should get a DB plot similar to the one shown below.
14. Add the phase by doing Tools > Calculator > vf (this would open the
schematic window).
15. In the schematic, select Out.
16. In the Calculator Window you should get VF(/Out).
17. Next, select phase.
18. In the Calculator Window you should get phase(VF(/Out)).
19. Now select plot. You should get a phase plot similar to the one shown below.

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