MWO/VSS 2003

.............................

MWO/VSS Getting Started .....

Guide
MWO/VSS Getting Started Guide
Version 6, November 2003

Applied Wave Research, Inc.

1960 E. Grand Avenue, Suite 430
El Segundo, CA 90245

Voice 310.726.3000
Fax 310.726.3005
Technical Support [email protected]
Website www.mwoffice.com

© 2003 Applied Wave Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this
guide may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without the express written permission of Applied Wave Research, Inc.
AWR™, Microwave Office™, Visual System Simulator™, and EMSight™ are trademarks of Applied Wave
Research, Inc. All other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
The information in this guide is believed to be accurate. However, no responsibility or liability is assumed by
Applied Wave Research, Inc. for its use.
CONTENTS
...............................

.....
1 INTRODUCING AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT ................... 1-1
About This Guide .........................................................................1-2
Getting Additional Information .................................................1-3

2 INSTALLING MWO/VSS .................................................... 2-1

Installation Overview ...................................................................2-1
Licensing and Available Features .......................................2-1
Installing Downloaded Versions ........................................2-1
In Case of Installation Errors.............................................2-2
Preparing for Installation .............................................................2-2
Installing the Software..................................................................2-3
Obtaining Your FLEXlm License ..............................................2-4

3 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT .......................................... 3-1

Starting AWR Programs...............................................................3-1
AWR Design Environment Components .................................3-2
Basic Operations ...........................................................................3-3
Working With Projects ........................................................3-4
Working With Schematics and Netlists in MWO............3-5
Working with System Diagrams in VSS............................3-6
Using the Element Browser................................................3-7
Creating a Layout with MWO ..........................................3-12
Creating Output Graphs and Measurements .................3-15
Performing Simulations.....................................................3-16
Using Scripts and Wizards ................................................3-17
Using Online Help ......................................................................3-18

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e iii
 CONTENTS

4 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR ..................................... 4-1

Linear Simulations in Microwave Office ...................................4-1
Creating a Lumped Element Filter.............................................4-1
Creating a New Project........................................................4-2
Setting Default Project Units..............................................4-2
Creating a Schematic............................................................4-3
Creating a Graph ..................................................................4-7
Analyzing the Circuit ...........................................................4-9
Creating Variables...............................................................4-12
Adding Optimization Goals .............................................4-14
Optimizing the Circuit.......................................................4-14
Creating Vector Variables..................................................4-15
Optimizing with Subcircuits .............................................4-19

5 CREATING LAYOUTS FROM SCHEMATICS ...................... 5-1

Layouts in Microwave Office ......................................................5-1
Layout Tips and Tricks ........................................................5-1
Creating a Layout From a Schematic .........................................5-2
Creating a New Project........................................................5-2
Importing a Layer Process File ..........................................5-3
Editing Database Units and Default Grid Size................5-3
Importing a GDSII Cell Library ........................................5-4
Importing a Data File ..........................................................5-5
Changing the Element Symbol...........................................5-6
Placing Microstrip Elements for Layout...........................5-7
Assigning an Artwork Cell to a Schematic Element .....5-10
Viewing a Layout ................................................................5-11
Anchoring a Layout Cell....................................................5-11
Creating an Artwork Cell ..................................................5-12
Editing the Schematic and Assigning a Chip Cap Cell.5-18
Routing the MTRACE2 Element in Layout .................5-20
Snapping Functions for Layout Cells ..............................5-21
Exporting the Layout.........................................................5-26

6 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR .............................. 6-1

Harmonic Balance in Microwave Office ...................................6-1

iv MWO/VSS 2003
 CONTENTS

Single-Tone Analysis ............................................................6-1

Multi-Tone Analysis .............................................................6-1
Nonlinear Measurements ....................................................6-1
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit ............................................6-2
Creating a New Project........................................................6-2
Creating a Schematic............................................................6-3
Creating a Bias Circuit ........................................................6-6
Importing Schematics ........................................................6-15
Adding Subcircuits to a Schematic ..................................6-16
Creating a Pout vs. Frequency Measurement .................6-19
Creating a Dynamic Load Line Measurement ...............6-21
Copying a Schematic in the Project Browser .................6-23

7 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR ................. 7-1

EM Simulation in Microwave Office .........................................7-1
Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter ...................................7-2
Creating a New Project........................................................7-2
Creating an EM Structure ...................................................7-2
Adding Conductors to the Layout .....................................7-6
Adding Vias ...........................................................................7-9
Viewing the Structure in 3D.............................................7-11
Adding Ports and De-embedding Lines .........................7-11
Specifying the Simulation Frequencies............................7-13
Running the EM Simulator ...............................................7-14
Displaying Results on a Graph .........................................7-16
Changing Frequency Range and Step Size .....................7-17
Animating Currents and Viewing E-Fields ....................7-18
Completing the Filter Layout............................................7-20
Adding a Port ......................................................................7-25
Adding a Measurement to the Graph..............................7-26

8 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS .......................................... 8-1

Overview of VSS Theory.............................................................8-1
Data Types.............................................................................8-1
Complex Envelope Signal Representation .......................8-2
Center Frequency and Sampling Frequency.....................8-4

Getting Started Guide v

 CONTENTS

Parameter Propagation ........................................................8-5

AM-Modulation Example............................................................8-6
Creating a Project .................................................................8-7
Setting Default System Settings..........................................8-8
Creating a System Diagram.................................................8-9
Placing Blocks in a System Diagram ...............................8-10
Specifying System Simulator Options .............................8-13
Creating a Graph to View Results ...................................8-14
Adding a Measurement......................................................8-15
Running the Simulation and Analyzing Results .............8-16

9 END-TO-END SYSTEM ..................................................... 9-1

Creating a QAM Project...............................................................9-1
Creating a QAM End-to-End System Diagram ..............9-2
Adding Graphs and Measurements ...................................9-5
Running the Simulation and Analyzing the Results ........9-6
Tuning System Parameters...........................................................9-8
Creating a BER and SER Simulation .........................................9-9
Converting BER Curve Results to a Table.....................9-15

10 ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM ............. 10-1

Adding an MWO Filter Circuit to the System........................10-1
Filtering Issues in VSS .......................................................10-2
Simulating the QAM System.............................................10-7
Adding a Graph and Analyzing the Results ...................10-8
Experimenting with Filters .............................................10-10

11 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS ........... 11-1

Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS.................................11-1
Compensating for Phase Shift..........................................11-4
Using the Vector Signal Analyzer Block .........................11-5
Analyzing Filter Response and Group Delay.................11-8
Creating Eye Diagrams....................................................11-10

vi MWO/VSS 2003
 CONTENTS

12 VSS EXAMPLES ........................................................... 12-1

FSK Example...............................................................................12-1
Using a “Black Box” FSK Modulator .............................12-1
Creating An FSK Modulator Using Elementary Blocks12-4
Receiver and Demodulation..............................................12-7
Adding Graphs and Analyzing Results .........................12-10
Phase Noise and I/Q Imbalance Example ...........................12-14
Modeling the Phase Noise ..............................................12-14
Adding Phase Noise to a QAM Signal..........................12-16
Adding Graphs and Analyzing Results .........................12-18
I/Q Imbalance and Image Rejection Ratio ..................12-21
End-to-End 64QAM Example ...............................................12-25
Building a QAM System ..................................................12-26
Adding Graphs and Analyzing Results .........................12-29
Adjacent-Channel Power Ratio (ACPR) .......................12-33
Mixer Modeling Example.........................................................12-35
Setting up the System.......................................................12-36
Adding Graphs and Analyzing Results .........................12-39
Exploring with a Different Data Format......................12-41

Getting Started Guide vii

 CONTENTS

viii MWO/VSS 2003

INTRODUCING AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
..............................
1

.....
Welcome to the AWR Design Environment!
The AWR Design Environment comprises two powerful tools that can be used
together to create an integrated system and RF design environment: Visual
System Simulator™ (VSS) and Microwave Office (MWO). These powerful tools
are fully integrated in the AWR Design Environment and allow you to
incorporate circuit designs into system designs without leaving the AWR Design
Environment.
Microwave Office enables you to design circuits composed of schematics and
electromagnetic (EM) structures from an extensive electrical model database,
and then generate layout representations of these designs. You can perform
simulations using one of Microwave Office’s simulation engines -- a linear
simulator, an advanced harmonic balance simulator, a 3D-planar EM simulator
(EMSight™), or an optional HSPICE simulator -- and display the output in a
wide variety of graphical forms based on your analysis needs. You can then tune
or optimize the designs and your changes are automatically and immediately
reflected in the layout.
VSS enables you to design and analyze end-to-end communication systems. You
can design systems composed of modulated signals, encoding schemes, channel
blocks and system level performance measurements. You can perform
simulations using VSS’s predefined transmitters and receivers, or you can build
customized transmitters and receivers from basic blocks. Based on your analysis
needs, you can display BER curves, ACPR measurements, constellations, and
power spectrums, to name a few. VSS provides a real-time tuner that allows you
to tune the designs and then see your changes immediately in the data display.

OBJECT ORIENTED TECHNOLOGY

At the core of MWO and VSS capability is advanced object-oriented

technology. This technology results in software that is compact, fast, reliable,
and easily enhanced with new technology as it becomes available.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 1-1
 INTRODUCING AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
1
About This Guide

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

This Getting Started Guide is designed to get you up and running quickly in the
AWR Design Environment and to show you Microwave Office and VSS
capabilities through working examples.

PREREQUISITES

You should be familiar with Microsoft® Windows® and have a working

knowledge of basic circuit and/or system design and analysis.
This document is available as a PDF file on your Program Disk (Getting
Started.pdf), or you can download it from the AWR website at www.mwoffice.com.
If you are viewing this guide as online Help and intend to work through the
examples, you should obtain and print out the PDF version for ease of use.

CONTENTS OF THIS GUIDE

Chapter 2 provides the basic installation procedures.

Chapter 3 provides an overview of the AWR Design Environment including the
basic menus, windows, components and commands.
Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7 take you through hands-on examples that show you how
to use Microwave Office to create circuit designs.
Chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 take you through hands-on examples that show
you how to use VSS to create system simulations and to incorporate Microwave
Office circuit designs.

CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS GUIDE

This guide uses the following typographical conventions:

Item Convention
Anything that you select Shown in a bold type. Nested menu selections are shown
(or click) in the AWR with a “>” to indicate that you select the first menu item
Design Environment, like and then select the second menu item:
menu items, button Choose File > New Project
names, and dialog box
option names

Any text that you enter Shown in a bold type within quotation marks:
using the keyboard
Enter “my_project” in Project Name.

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 INTRODUCING AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
Getting Additional Information

Item Convention
Keys or key combinations Shown in a bold type with initial capitals. Key
that you press combinations are shown with a “+” to indicate that you
press and hold the first key while pressing the second
key:
Press Alt+F1.

GETTING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

There are multiple resources available for additional information and technical
support on MWO and VSS.

DOCUMENTATION

Documentation for MWO includes:

• What’s New in MWO 2003? presents the new or enhanced features,
elements, and measurements for this release. This document is
available via the Start button Programs > AWR Suite 2003 menu, or by
choosing Help > What’s New while in the program.
• Microwave Office User Guide describes how to use the Microwave Office
windows, menu choices, and dialog boxes to perform linear, nonlinear,
and EM design, layout, and simulation, and discusses related concepts.
• Microwave Office Element Catalog (Volumes 1 and 2) provides complete
reference information on all of the electrical elements that you use to
build schematics.
• Microwave Office Measurement Reference provides complete reference
information on the “measurements” (i.e., computed data such as gain,
noise, power, or voltage) that you can choose as output for your
simulations.
• MWO/VSS/AO Installation Guide describes how to install the AWR
Design Environment and configure it for locked or floating licensing
options. It also provides licensing configuration troubleshooting tips.
This document is available on your Program Disk as install.pdf, or
downloadable from the Applied Wave Research website at
www.mwoffice.com under Support.
• Known Issues lists the known issues for this release. This document is
available on your program disk as KnownIssues.htm.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 1-3
 INTRODUCING AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
1
Getting Additional Information

Documentation for VSS includes:

• What’s New in VSS 2003? presents the new or enhanced features,
system blocks, and measurements for this release. This document is
available via the Start button Programs > AWR Suite 2003 menu, or by
choosing Help > What’s New while in the program.
• Visual System Simulator System Block Catalog provides complete reference
information on all of the system blocks that you use to build systems.
• Visual System Simulator Measurement Reference provides complete
reference information on the measurements you can choose as output
for your simulations.

ON-LINE HELP

All AWR documentation is available as on-line Help.

To access online Help choose Help from the main menu or press F1 anytime
you are working within the AWR Design Environment. Context sensitive help is
available for elements and system blocks in the Element Browser and within
schematics or system diagrams. Context sensitive Help is available for
measurements from the Add/Modify Measurements dialog box.

WEBSITE SUPPORT

Support is also available from the Applied Wave Research website at

www.mwoffice.com. You can go directly to this site from the AWR Design
Environment Help menu. The Support page provides links to the following:
• the current software version
• the KnowledgeBase, which contains Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs) from MWO and VSS users, Application Notes, Tutorials, and
project examples
• VSS and MWO documentation

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Technical Support is available Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m., PST.

Phone: 310.726.3028 / Fax: 310.726.3005 / E-mail: support@mwoffice.
For users with current maintenance contracts, Technical Support is also
available via an interactive Web-based chat session. To contact Support in this
manner, choose Help > Chat with AWR Support .

1-4 MWO/VSS 2003

INSTALLING MWO/VSS
..............................
2

.....
This chapter describes how to install Microwave Office (MWO) and Visual
System Simulator (VSS). You can install them as standalone applications or
install them together as integrated partners within the AWR Design
Environment. A procedure for obtaining a FLEXlm® license with a software-
based key is also included.
The installation procedures are intended for evaluators and licensed users who
want to install MWO and VSS with a FLEXlm license dedicated to their
particular machine. For alternative licensing configurations, see the MWO/
VSS/AO Installation Guide on your Program Disk (install.pdf). You can also
download this guide from the AWR website at www.mwoffice.com. The file is
located under Support.

INSTALLATION OVERVIEW
The AWR Design Environment software is shipped on a program CD-ROM for
installation. The installation program installs Microwave Office, Visual System
Simulator and Analog Office.

Licensing and Available Features

You may have purchased a complete MWO/VSS license with full functionality
(i.e., linear simulator, nonlinear simulator, EM simulator, optional HSPICE
simulator, and layout tool), or you may have purchased a license for one or more
features. In either case, the complete application is installed and your license
determines the specific MWO and/or VSS functions that are available to you.
The program is installed by default in C:\Program Files\AWR\AWR2003.

Installing Downloaded Versions

The AWR Design Environment software installed from the Applied Wave
Research website (www.mwoffice.com) includes a minimal set of vendor libraries.
You can access additional XML libraries from within the AWR Design
Environment via the Element Browser and the AWR website.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 2-1
 INSTALLING MWO/VSS
2
Preparing for Installation

In Case of Installation Errors

If installation aborts due to an error, ensure the machine’s TEMP environment
variable points to an existing directory. To set environment variables, see the
MWO/VSS/AO Installation Guide (install.pdf on your Program Disk, or under
Support at www.mwoffice.com.)

PREPARING FOR INSTALLATION

Before you start the installation:
1 Make sure the machine on which you wish to install the software meets the
following hardware and software requirements:
• Pentium® PC, 800MHz, 256MB RAM, 200MB available disk space.
• Microsoft® Windows® 2000, NT4®, or XP.
• Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 5.0 or later, including Web
Browser1, Help, and Visual Basic scripting support. To install Explorer,
go to the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE, or
insert the Program Disk into the CD-ROM drive and run
D:\Tools\ie6sp1\i386\ie6setup.exe, where D: is the CD-ROM drive
designation.
2 When installing an update, back up any custom libraries you have stored in
the \Library subdirectory of the program directory, and any .dll files you
have stored in the \cells or \models directories.
3 When installing an upgrade, retain your existing version until you verify that
your projects work successfully in the new version. (To uninstall Microwave
Office, choose Add/Remove Programs from the Windows Control Panel,
select the AWR Design Environment and follow the instructions.)

1. If you do not want Microsoft Internet Explorer to be your default internet browser, you must choose to
NOT associate file types via the Advanced setup options when you install Internet Explorer. Note that
you must still have the Web Browser installed, however.

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 INSTALLING MWO/VSS
Installing the Software

INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE

You can begin your installation from the installation Welcome screen.
To install the AWR Design Environment:
1 If you have the program CD-ROM, place it into the CD-ROM drive. When
the AWR splash screen displays, follow the prompts and instructions. If the
Welcome dialog does not display, explore the program CD-ROM and run
the setup.exe program.
If you have downloaded MWO and VSS from www.mwoffice.com, browse to
the folder in which you downloaded the software and run the setup program
to display the installation Welcome dialog.
2 As you proceed with the installation you are prompted to specify the
following:

Option Description
Backup Replaced Files Backups are necessary only if you have modified files in
your previous MWO/VSS version or stored any design files
in the installation directory tree.

Select Default Process Choose the default units to use in schematics and layouts
(as well as affect the default sizes for components such as
transmission lines). The default is Microns. You can
alternatively set this default within the program; see the
Microwave Office User Guide for details.

Register File Extensions Select this check box to specify that files with a .emp, .em,
.sch, or .net extension are opened in the AWR Design
Environment. If you use another schematic tool or program
that uses these extensions, you may want to disable this
option. This check box is selected by default.

Select Start Menu Group Enter the name of the Start menu program group to which
you want to add the AWR 2003 icons. “AWR Suite 2003” is
the default. If you accept the default, you start the program
by clicking the Start button on your desktop and then
choosing Programs > AWR Suite 2003 > AWR
Design Environment. In addition, you can specify that
these icons display only when you are logged onto the
computer, or when anyone logs onto the computer.

3 When prompted to create one or more Start menu shortcuts, choose from
the following list of AWR product numbers based on the product feature
set you have purchased.

Getting Started Guide 2-3

 INSTALLING MWO/VSS
2
Obtaining Your FLEXlm License

If you have an evaluation license, leave all of the boxes unchecked to create
the appropriate default shortcut.

Option Description
VSS-100 Standalone version of Visual System Simulator

MWO-328 All MWO-228 functionality plus HSPICE functionality

MWO-228 Linear, nonlinear, and EM simulators, and layout; design rule

checking, ability to work with layout components having more
than two layers, and access to foundry libraries

MWO-225 linear, nonlinear, and EM simulators, and layout

MWO-205 linear and nonlinear simulators, and layout

MWO-200 linear and nonlinear simulators

MWO-125 linear and EM simulators, and layout

MWO-120 linear and EM simulators

MWO-105 linear simulator and layout

MWO-100 linear simulator

4 When installation is complete click Exit to close the screen.

OBTAINING YOUR FLEXLM LICENSE

The AWR Design Environment supports FLEXlm floating1 licensing and
hardware-based2 keys. If you want to configure your site for FLEXlm floating
licensing, and/or if you want to use hardware-based keys, see the MWO/VSS/
ANO Installation Guide under Support at www.mwoffice.com, or on your Program
Disk (install.pdf).

1. Floating licensing allows multiple users to share a license over a network via a client-server architecture,
whereas locked licensing dedicates a license to a particular machine.
2. Hardware-based keys are calculated from an AWR-supplied hardware dongle serial number. Such a
license can be transferred between machines simply by moving the dongle.

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 INSTALLING MWO/VSS
Obtaining Your FLEXlm License

To obtain a FLEXlm locked license using a software-based key:

1 Click the Start button on your desktop, and choose Programs > AWR Suite
2003 > AWR Design Environment.
If the AWR Design Environment was not configured during installation to
display from your Start menu, start it by double-clicking My Computer on
your desktop, opening the folder where you installed the program and
double-clicking on MWOffice.exe.
2 The following AWR License Configuration dialog box displays.

3 To obtain a valid license file from Applied Wave Research, click the
appropriate button under Registration and follow the instructions.
4 You will receive your license within two business days. When you receive it,
rename it awr.lic and place it into the program directory.

Getting Started Guide 2-5

 INSTALLING MWO/VSS
2
Obtaining Your FLEXlm License

2-6 MWO/VSS 2003

AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
..............................
3

.....
This chapter describes the windows, menus and basic operations for performing
the following tasks in the AWR Design Environment:
• Creating projects to organize and save your designs
• Creating system diagrams, circuit schematics, and EM structures
• Placing circuit elements into schematics
• Placing system blocks into system diagrams
• Incorporating subcircuits into system diagrams and schematics
• Creating layouts
• Creating and displaying output graphs
• Running simulations for schematics and system diagrams
• Tuning simulations

STARTING AWR PROGRAMS

To start the AWR Design Environment:
1 Click Start on your desktop.
2 Choose Programs > AWR Suite 2003 > AWR Design Environment . The
following AWR Design Suite main window displays.
If the AWR Design Environment was not configured during installation to
display in your Start menu, start the application by double-clicking the My
Computer icon on your desktop, opening the drive and folder where you
installed the program, and double-clicking on MWOffice.exe, the Microwave
Office application.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 3-1
 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
3 AWR Design Environment Components

Title bar
Menus
Toolbar

Project
Browser System Diagrams
Circuit Schematics

Workspace

Tabs

AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT COMPONENTS

The AWR Design Environment contains the windows, components, menu
selections and tools you need to create linear and nonlinear schematics, set up
EM structures, generate circuit layouts, create system diagrams, perform
simulations, and display graphs. Most of the basic procedures apply to both
Microwave Office (MWO) and Visual System Simulator (VSS). The major
components of the AWR Design Environment are:

Component Description
menu A set of menus located along the top of the window for
performing a variety of MWO and VSS tasks.

toolbar A row of buttons located just below the menu that

provides shortcuts to frequently used commands such
as creating new schematics, performing simulations, or
tuning parameter values or variables.
The buttons available depend on the functions in use
and the active window within the design environment
(as well as any customization of toolbar button groups).
Position the cursor over a button to view a short
description of the button.

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 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
Basic Operations

Component Description
Project Browser Located in the left column of the window, this is the
complete collection of data and components that define
the currently active project. Items are organized into a
tree-like structure of nodes and include schematics,
system diagrams and EM structures, simulation
frequency settings, output graphs, and more.
The Project Browser is active when the AWR
Environment first opens. Right-click a node in the
Project Browser to access menus of relevant
commands.

Element Browser Contains a comprehensive inventory of circuit

elements for building your schematics, and system
blocks for building system diagrams for simulations.
The Element Browser displays in the left column in
place of the Project Browser when you click the Elem
tab at the lower left of the window.

workspace The area in which you design schematics and

diagrams, draw EM structures, view and edit layouts,
and view graphs. You can use the scrollbars to move
around the workspace. You can also use the zoom in
and zoom out options from the View menu.

tabs A set of tabs located at the lower left of the window that
allow you to switch the contents of the left column of
the window from Project Browser (i.e., Proj) to
Element Browser or Layout Manager.
Click the Elem tab to display the Element Browser and
to access a comprehensive inventory of circuit
elements and system blocks for simulation.
Click the Layout tab to specify options for viewing and
drawing layout representations and to create new
layout cells.

Many of the functions and commands can be invoked from the menus and on
the toolbar, and in some cases by right-clicking on a node in the Project
Browser. This guide may not describe all of the ways to invoke a specific task.

BASIC OPERATIONS
This section highlights the windows, menu choices, and commands available for
creating simulation designs and projects in the AWR Design Environment.

Getting Started Guide 3-3

 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
3 Basic Operations

Working With Projects

The first step in building and simulating a design is to create a project. You use a
project to organize and manage your designs and everything associated with
them in a tree-like structure.

PROJECT CONTENTS

Because MWO and VSS are fully integrated in the AWR Environment, you can
start a project based on a system design using VSS, or on a circuit design using
MWO. The project may ultimately combine both VSS and MWO elements. You
can view all of the components and elements in the project in the Project
Browser. Modifications are automatically reflected in the relevant elements.
A project can include any set of designs and one or more linear schematics,
nonlinear schematics, EM structures, or system level blocks. A project can
include anything associated with the designs, such as global parameter values,
imported files, layout views, and output graphs.

CREATING, OPENING, AND SAVING PROJECTS

When you first start the AWR Design Environment, a default empty project
titled “Untitled Project” is loaded. Only one project can be active at a time. The
name of the active project displays in the main window title bar.
After you create (name) a project, you can create your designs. You can perform
simulations to analyze the designs and see the results on a variety of graphical
forms. Then, you can tune or optimize parameter values and variables as needed
to achieve the desired response. You can generate layout representations of the
designs, and output the layout to a DXF, GDSII, or Gerber file.
To create a project choose File > New Project . Name the new project and the
directory you want to write it to by choosing File > Save Project As. The project
name displays in the title bar.
To open an existing project, choose File > Open Project . To save the current
project, choose File > Save Project . When you save a project, everything
associated with it is automatically saved. AWR projects are saved as *.emp files.

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 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
Basic Operations

Create new project

Open existing project

Save current project

Name new project
Email the project

Working With Schematics and Netlists in MWO

A schematic is a graphical representation of a circuit while a netlist is a text-
based description. A Microwave Office project can include multiple linear and
nonlinear schematics and netlists.
To create a schematic or netlist, right-click Circuit Schematics in the Project
Browser and choose New Schematic or New Netlist .
After you specify a schematic or netlist name, a schematic or netlist window
opens in the workspace and the Project Browser displays the new item as a
subnode of Circuit Schematics. Subgroups of the new schematic or netlist
which contain all of the parameters and options (for example, frequencies or
harmonic balance options) that define and describe the schematic or netlist can
be displayed in the Project Browser by selecting Options > Environment
Options > Show options as sub-nodes. In addition, the menu and toolbar
display new choices particular to building and simulating schematics or netlists.

Getting Started Guide 3-5

 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
3 Basic Operations

Schematic
Right-click then
window (or
choose New
netlist
Schematic
window)
opens in the
workspace
Create new netlist

Working with System Diagrams in VSS

A VSS project can include multiple system diagrams. To create a system
diagram, right-click System Diagrams in the Project Browser and choose New
System Diagram .

Right-click to create
new system diagram
A system diagram opens
in the workspace

You are prompted to name the new system diagram.

After you name the system diagram, a window opens in the workspace and the
Project Browser displays the new system diagram. Subnodes of the system
diagram which contain all of the parameters and options that define and
describe the system diagram can also be displayed in the Project Browser by
selecting Options > Environment Options > Show options as sub-nodes. After

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 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
Basic Operations

you name the system diagram, the menus and toolbar display new selections and
buttons for building and simulating systems.

Using the Element Browser

The Element Browser gives you access to a comprehensive database of
hierarchical groups of circuit elements for schematics and system blocks for
system diagrams. The Library and Data folders in the Element Browser provide
a wide range of electrical models and S-parameter files from manufacturers.
Circuit elements include models, sources, ports, probes, measurement devices,
data libraries, and model libraries that can be placed in a circuit schematic for
linear and non-linear simulations.
System blocks include channels, math tools, meters, subcircuits, and other
models for system simulations.
• To view elements or system blocks, click the Elem tab in the lower left
window. The Element Browser replaces the Project Browser window.
• To expand and contract the model categories, click the + and - symbols
to view the desired subcategory, such as Microstrips or Ports. The
available models display in the lower window pane.
• To place a model into a schematic or system diagram, simply click and
drag it into the window, release the mouse button, right-click to rotate
it if needed, position it, and click to place it.
• To edit model parameters, simply double-click the element graphic in
the schematic or system diagram window. An Element Options dialog
box displays for you to specify new parameter values. You can also edit
individual parameter values by double-clicking on the value in the
schematic or system diagram and entering a new value in the text box
that displays.

Getting Started Guide 3-7

 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
3 Basic Operations

Expand then
click desired Buttons for
subcategory adding ports
and ground

Drag desired
model
into schematic or
system diagram
window

Click Elem tab to

display Element
Browser

ADDING SUBCIRCUITS TO SCHEMATICS

Subcircuits allow you to construct hierarchical circuits by including a circuit

block in a schematic. The circuit block can be a schematic, a netlist, an EM
structure, or a data file.
• To add a subcircuit to a schematic, click Subcircuits in the Element
Browser. The available subcircuits display in the lower window pane.
These include all of the schematics, netlists, and EM structures
associated with the project, as well as any imported data files defined
for the project.
• To add a data file as a subcircuit, you must first import it and add it to
the project as a node. To do so, choose Project > Add Data File. Any
imported data files are automatically shown in the list of available
subcircuits in the Element Browser.
• To place the desired subcircuit, simply click it and drag it into the
schematic window, release the mouse button, position it, and click to
place it.

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• To edit subcircuit parameters, select the subcircuit in the schematic

window, right-click, and choose Edit Subcircuit . Either a schematic,
netlist, EM structure, or data file opens in the workspace. You can edit
it in the same way that you would edit the individual circuit block types.

ADDING SUBCIRCUITS TO SYSTEM DIAGRAMS

Subcircuits allow you to construct hierarchical systems and to import results of

circuit simulation directly into the system block diagram.
• To create a subcircuit to a system diagram, choose Project > Add
System Diagram > New System Diagram or Import System Diagram
and then click Subcircuits under System Blocks in the Element
Browser. The available subcircuits display in the lower window pane.
• To place the desired subcircuit, simply click and drag it into the system
diagram window, release the mouse button, position it, and click to
place it.
• To edit subcircuit parameters, select the subcircuit in the system
diagram window, right-click, and choose Edit Subcircuit.
• To add a system diagram as a subcircuit to another system diagram, you
must first add ports to the system that is designated as a subcircuit.

ADDING PORTS AND WIRES TO SCHEMATICS AND DIAGRAMS

To add ports to a schematic or system diagram, expand the Ports category in

the Element Browser. Under Circuit Elements or System Blocks, click Ports or
one of its subgroups, for example, Harmonic Balance. The available models
display in the lower window pane. Drag the port into the schematic or system
diagram window, right-click to rotate it if needed, position it, and click to place
it.
For a shortcut when placing ports and ground, click the Port or Ground buttons
on the toolbar, position the port or ground, and click to place it.

CONNECTING ELEMENT AND SYSTEM BLOCK NODES

To connect element or system block nodes with a wire, position the cursor over
a node. The cursor displays as a wire coil symbol. Click at this position to mark
the beginning of the wire and slide the mouse to a location where a bend is
needed. Click again to mark the bend point. You can make multiple bends.
Terminate the wire by clicking on another element node or on top of another
wire. To cancel the wire, press the Esc key.

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 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
3 Basic Operations

EDITING PORT PARAMETERS

To edit port parameters, double-click the port in the schematic or system

diagram windows to display a dialog box in which you can specify new
parameter values.

ADDING DATA TO NETLISTS

When you create a netlist, an empty netlist window opens into which you type a
text-based description of a schematic. Netlist data is arranged in blocks in a
particular order, where each block defines a different attribute of an element
such as units, equations, or element connections. For more information about
creating netlists, see the Microwave Office User Guide.

CREATING EM STRUCTURES

EM structures are arbitrary multi-layered electrical structures such as spiral

inductors with air bridges.
To create an EM structure, right-click EM Structures in the Project Browser,
and choose New EM Structure.
After you specify an EM structure name and select a simulator, an EM structure
window opens in the workspace and the Project Browser displays the new EM
structure under EM Structures. Subnodes of the new EM structure which
contain all of the parameters and options that define and describe the EM
structure can be displayed as described in “Working With Schematics and
Netlists in MWO” on page 3-5. In addition, the menu and toolbar display new
choices particular to drawing and simulating EM structures.

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 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
Basic Operations

Create new EM structure

EM structure window opens in
the workspace

ADDING EM STRUCTURE DRAWINGS

Before you draw an EM structure, you must define an enclosure. The enclosure
specifies things such as boundary conditions and dielectric materials for each
layer of the structure.
To define an enclosure, double-click Enclosure under your new EM structure in
the Project Browser to display a dialog box in which you can specify the
required information.
After you define the enclosure, you can create drawings by accessing options
from the Draw menu to draw components such as rectangular conductors, vias,
and edge ports.
You can view EM structures in 2D (structure) and 3D by using the View menu,
and you can view currents and electrical fields using the Animate menu.

Getting Started Guide 3-11

 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
3 Basic Operations

Display 2D
(structure) and
3D views of the
structure

Draw conductors,
vias, and ports

Shortcuts for
drawing
conductors, vias,
and ports

Double-click to
define an
enclosure

Creating a Layout with MWO

A layout is a view of the physical representation of a circuit, in which each
component of the schematic is assigned a layout cell. In the object-oriented
AWR environment, layouts are tightly integrated with the schematics and EM
structures that they represent and are simply another view of the same circuits.
Any modifications to a schematic or EM structure are automatically and
instantly reflected in their corresponding layouts.
To create a layout representation of a schematic, click the schematic window to
make it active, and choose View > New Layout View. A Layout window displays
(overlaying the schematic window) with an automatically-generated layout view
of the schematic.
You can also click the Layout button on the toolbar to view the layout of a
schematic.

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Basic Operations

The resulting layout contains layout cells representing electrical components

floating in the layout window. Choose Edit > Snap Together to snap the faces of
the layout cells together. The following figure shows the layout view from the
previous figure after a snap together operation.

When you choose View > New Layout View, default layout cells are automatically
assigned for common electrical components such as microstrip, coplanar
waveguide, and stripline elements. Components of the schematic that do not
map to default layout cells display in blue in the schematic window after the
layout is generated; components that do have default layout cells display in
magenta. For components without default layout cells defined, you must create
them or import them using the Layout Manager. For more information see
Using the Layout Manager on page 3-14.
You can draw in the layout window using the draw tools to build substrate
outlines, draw DC pads for biasing, or to add other elements.

MODIFYING LAYOUT ATTRIBUTES AND DRAWING PROPERTIES

To modify layout attributes and drawing properties, as well as create new layout
cells for elements that do not have default cells, click the Layout tab in the lower
left window. The Layout Manager replaces the Project Browser window.

Getting Started Guide 3-13

 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
3 Basic Operations

Right-click to modify
layout attributes or
import an LPF

Right-click to import
a cell library or create
your own using a Cell
Editor

Activate layers for

viewing and drawing

Click the Layout tab to

display Layout Manager

USING THE LAYOUT MANAGER

The Layer Setup node in the Layout Manager defines layout attributes such as
drawing properties (for example, line color or layer pattern), 3D properties such
as thickness, and layer mappings. To modify layer attributes, right-click Layer
Setup and choose Edit Drawing Layers. You can also import a layer process file
(LPF) to define these attributes by right-clicking Layer Setup and choosing
Import Process Definition .

The Cell Libraries node in the Layout Manager allows you to create artwork
cells for elements that do not have default layout cells. The powerful Cell Editor
includes such features as coordinate entry, boolean operations for subtracting
and uniting shapes, array copy, arbitrary rotation, grouping, and alignment tools.
You can also import artwork cell libraries such as GDSII or DXF into the AWR
Design Environment.
After creating or importing cell libraries, you can browse through the libraries
and select the desired layout cells to include in your layout. Click the + and -
symbols to expand and contract the cell libraries, and click the desired library.

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 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
Basic Operations

The available layout cells display in the lower window pane. To place a cell into
the layout window, simply click and drag it, release the mouse button, position it,
and click to place it.
.

Expand and contract, click

desired library

Drag layout cell into

Layout window

You can import layouts as GDSII or DXF files. To export a layout, click the
layout window to make it active, and choose Layout > Export .

Creating Output Graphs and Measurements

You can view the results of your circuit and system simulations in various
graphical forms. Before you perform a simulation, you create a graph and
specify the data, or measurements, that you want to plot. Measurements can
include for example, gain, noise or scattering coefficients.
To create a graph, right-click Graphs in the Project Browser, and choose Add
Graph to display a dialog box in which to specify a graph name and graph type.

Getting Started Guide 3-15

 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
3 Basic Operations

An empty graph displays in the workspace and the graph name displays under
Graphs in the Project Browser. The following graph types are available:

Graph Type Description

Rectangular Displays the measurement on an x-y axis, usually over
frequency.

Constellation Displays the in-phase (real) versus the quadrature (imaginary)

component of a complex signal.

Smith Chart Displays passive impedance or admittances in a reflection

coefficient chart of unit radius.

Polar Displays the magnitude and angle of the measurement.

Histogram Displays the measurement as a histogram.

Antenna Plot Displays the sweep dimension of the measurement as the angle
and the data dimension of the measurement as the magnitude.

Tabular Displays the measurement in columns of numbers, usually

against frequency.

To specify the data that you want to plot, right-click the new graph name in the
Project Browser, and choose Add Measurement . An Add Measurement dialog
box allows you to choose from a comprehensive list of measurements.

Performing Simulations
To run a simulation on the active project, choose Simulate > Analyze. The
simulation runs automatically on the entire project, using the appropriate
simulator (for example, linear simulator, harmonic balance nonlinear simulator,
or 3D-planar EM simulator) for the different pieces of the project.

SETTING SIMULATION FREQUENCY

To set the simulation frequency, double-click the Project Options node in the
Project Browser, or choose Options > Project Options and then specify
frequency values on the Frequencies tab in the dialog box.

VSS SYSTEM SIMULATIONS

To set simulation frequency, double-click the System Diagrams node in the

Project Browser, or choose Options > Default System Options and then specify
frequency values on the Simulator tab in the dialog box.

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 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
Basic Operations

Type the data rate

Type the number

of samples per
symbol

When the simulation is complete, you can view its output on the graphs and
then easily tune and/or optimize as needed.

TUNING SIMULATIONS

The real-time tuner lets you see the effect on the simulation as you tune. The
optimizer lets you see circuit parameter values and variables change in real-time
as it works to meet the optimization goals that you specified.
You can also click the Tune Tool button on the toolbar. Select the parameters
you want to tune and then click the Tuner button to tune the values. As you tune
or optimize, the schematics and associated layouts are automatically updated.
When you re-run the simulation, only the modified portions of the project are
recalculated.

Using Scripts and Wizards

AWR Design Environment scripts and wizards allow you to automate and
extend Microwave Office functions in a non-proprietary manner. These features
are implemented via the Microwave Office API, a COM automation-compliant
server that can be programmed in any non-proprietary language such as C,
Visual Basic™, or Java.

Getting Started Guide 3-17

 AWR DESIGN ENVIRONMENT
3 Using Online Help

Scripts are Basic programs that you can write to do things such as automate
schematic-building tasks within Microwave Office.
Wizards are Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files which you can author to create
add-on tools for Microwave Office, for example, a filter synthesis tool.
Wizards display under Wizards in the Project Browser; to access scripts, choose
Tools > Scripting Editor.

USING ONLINE HELP

Online Help provides information on the windows, menu choices, and dialog
boxes in the AWR Design Environment, as well as for design concepts.
To access Help, choose Help from the menu bar or press F1 anywhere in the
program. The following context-sensitive Help is also available:
• Help buttons in most dialog boxes.
• Help for each element or system block in the Element Browser by
selecting a model and pressing Alt+F1 , or by right-clicking on a model
and choosing Element Help. The Element Options dialog box also has
an Element Help button.
• Help for each measurement in the Add/Modify Measurement dialog
box by clicking Meas Help.
• Help for using the AWR script development environment, accessed by
selecting a keyword (i.e., object, object model, or Visual Basic syntax),
and pressing F1 .

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USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
..............................
4

.....
Linear simulators use nodal analysis to simulate the characteristics of a circuit.
Linear simulations are used for circuits such as low noise amplifiers, filters, and
couplers whose elements can be characterized by an admittance matrix. Linear
simulators typically generate measurements such as gain, stability, noise figure,
reflection coefficient, noise circles, and gain circles.

LINEAR SIMULATIONS IN MICROWAVE OFFICE

The Microwave Office linear simulator is architected using object-oriented
techniques that enable fast and efficient simulations of linear circuits. One of its
trademarks is a real-time tuner that allows you to see resulting simulations as you
tune. It also allows you to perform optimization and yield analysis.
The following example illustrates some of the key features of the Microwave
Office linear simulator.

CREATING A LUMPED ELEMENT FILTER

This example demonstrates how to use Microwave Office to simulate a basic
lumped element filter using the linear simulator. It includes the following steps:
• Creating a schematic
• Adding graphs and measurements
• Analyzing the circuit
• Tuning the circuit
• Creating variables
• Optimizing the circuit

Getting Started Guide 4-1

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

Creating a New Project

The example you create in this chapter is available in its complete form as
“linear_example.emp” in your Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\
Getting Started\Microwave Office\Linear directory. You can use this example file
as a reference.
To create a project:
1 Choose File > New Project .
2 Choose File > Save Project As. The Save As dialog box displays.
3 Navigate to the directory in which you want to save the project, type
“linear_example ” as the project name, and then click Save.

Setting Default Project Units

To set default project units:
1 Choose Options > Project Options. The Project Options dialog box
displays.
2 Click the Global Units tab and verify that your settings match those in the
following figure. You can choose units by clicking the arrows to the right of
the display boxes.

3 Click OK .

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 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Lumped Element Filter

Creating a Schematic
To create a schematic:
1 Choose Project > Add Schematic > New Schematic. The Create New
Schematic dialog box displays.
2 Type “lpf ”, and click OK . A schematic window displays in the workspace
and the schematic displays under Circuit Schematics in the Project
Browser.

PLACING ELEMENTS IN A SCHEMATIC

Use the scroll arrows along the right and bottom of the schematic window to
view different portions of the schematic as you work.
To place elements on a schematic:
1 Click the Elem tab in the lower left of the window to display the Element
Browser. The Element Browser replaces the Project Browser window.
2 If necessary, click the + symbol to the left of the Circuit Elements node to
expand the elements tree.
3 Expand the Lumped Element category under Circuit Elements, then click
the Inductor subgroup. Select the IND model from the bottom window
and drag it to the schematic as shown in the following figure.

Element Browser

Element models

4 Repeat step 3 three times, aligning and connecting each inductor as shown
in the following figure.

Getting Started Guide 4-3

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

TIP: You can also connect elements by moving them to snap their nodes
together. When they are properly connected a small green square displays
and the connection wire extends if you move either element. If you do not
see the green square, try to drag one of the elements into place again.

IND IND IND IND

ID=L1 ID=L2 ID=L3 ID=L4
L=1 nH L=1 nH L=1 nH L=1 nH

5 Click the Capacitor subgroup under Lumped Element, then select the CAP
model and place it on the schematic as shown in the following figure. Right-
click once before placing the capacitor to rotate it as shown.
6 Repeat Step 5 twice, aligning and linking each capacitor as shown in the
following figure.

IND IND IND IND

ID=L1 ID=L2 ID=L3 ID=L4
L=1 nH L=1 nH L=1 nH L=1 nH

CAP CAP CAP

ID=C1 ID=C2 ID=C3
C=1 pF C=1 pF C=1 pF

CONNECTING THE WIRES

To connect the bottom nodes of the three capacitor elements together:

1 Place the cursor over the bottom node of CAP C1. The cursor displays as a
wire coil symbol as shown in the following figure.

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 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Lumped Element Filter

2 Click, then drag the wire past the bottom node of CAP C2, then onto the
bottom node of CAP C3, and click to place the wire.

IND IND IND IND

ID=L1 ID=L2 ID=L3 ID=L4
L=1 nH L=1 nH L=1 nH L=1 nH

CAP CAP CAP

ID=C1 ID=C2 ID= C3
C=1 pF C=1 pF C=1 pF

PLACING PORTS ON A NODE

To place a port on a node:

1 Choose Draw > Add Port .
2 Move the cursor onto the schematic, position the port on the first inductor
node as shown in the following figure, then click to place it.

3 Repeat Step 1 to add a port to the right-most inductor, but right-click two
times to rotate the port 180-degrees before you place it.
TIP: You can also add a port by clicking the Port button on the toolbar and
sliding the cursor into the schematic.

PLACING GROUND ON A NODE

To place ground on a node:

1 Choose Draw > Add Ground .
2 Slide the cursor onto the schematic, position the ground on the bottom
node of CAP C1 as shown in the following figure, and click to place it.

Getting Started Guide 4-5

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

PORT IND IND IND IND

P=1 ID=L1 ID=L2 ID=L3 ID=L4
Z=50 Ohm L=1 nH L=1 nH L=1 nH L=1 nH

PORT
P=2
CAP CAP CAP Z=50 Ohm
ID=C1 ID=C2 ID=C3
C=1 pF C=1 pF C=1 pF

EDITING ELEMENT PARAMETERS

To edit the element parameters:

1 Double-click the IND L1 element. The Element Options dialog box
displays.
2 Set the L parameter Value to “15 ” and click OK . The change is reflected in
the schematic.
3 Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to edit the inductor and capacitor values to match
those in the following figure. (To edit capacitor values, set the C parameter
value as shown.)

PORT IND IND IND IND

P=1 ID=L1 ID=L2 ID=L3 ID=L4
Z=50 Ohm L=15 nH L=30 nH L=30 nH L=15 nH

PORT
P=2
CAP CAP CAP Z=50 Ohm
ID=C1 ID=C2 ID=C3
C=8 pF C=10 pF C=8 pF

TIP: You can also simply double-click the parameter value displayed on the
schematic to display a text box in which you can modify a single parameter.

SPECIFYING THE SIMULATION FREQUENCY

To specify the simulation frequency:

1 Click the Proj tab in the lower left of the window.
2 Double-click Project Options. The Project Options dialog box displays.
3 Click the Frequencies tab.

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Creating a Lumped Element Filter

4 Type “100 ” in Start , “1000 ” in Stop, and “10 ” in Step, and then click Apply.
The frequency range and steps you specified display in Current Range.
5 Click OK .

Creating a Graph
To create a graph:
1 Right-click Graphs in the Project Browser and choose Add Graph. You can
also click the New Graph button on the toolbar. The Create Graph dialog
box displays.
2 Type “s21 and s11 ” in Graph Name, select Rectangular as the Graph Type,
and click OK . The graph displays in a window in the workspace and displays
as a subgroup of Graphs in the Project Browser.

Getting Started Guide 4-7

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

Individual
graphs display
under Graphs

ADDING A MEASUREMENT

To add measurements to the graph:

1 Right-click the “s21 and s11” graph in the Project Browser, and choose Add
Measurement . The Add Measurement dialog box displays. You can also
click the Add Measurement button on the toolbar.
2 Select Linear > Port Parameters as the Meas. Type and S as the
Measurement . Click the arrow to the right of Data Source Name and select
lpf. Click the arrows to the right of To Port Index and From Port Index and
select “1 ” for each. Select Mag. as the Complex Modifier, select the DB
check box under Result Type, and then click Apply.

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Creating a Lumped Element Filter

3 Change the value in To Port Index to “2 ”, and click Apply to add a second
measurement.
4 Click OK . The measurements lpf:DB(|S(1,1)|) and lpf:DB(|S(2,1)|) display
under the “s21 and s11” graph in the Project Browser.

Analyzing the Circuit

To analyze the circuit:
1 Choose Simulate > Analyze. The simulation response displays on the
graph.You can also click the Analyze button on the toolbar to simulate the
active project.

Getting Started Guide 4-9

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

s21 and s11 DB(|S(1,1)|)

0 lpf
DB(|S(2,1)|)
-10 lpf

-20

-30

-40

-50
100 300 500 700 900 1000
Frequency (MHz)

TUNING THE CIRCUIT

When you place the tune tool over a schematic element, the cursor displays as a
cross icon to indicate that the parameter is tuneable.
To tune the circuit:
1 Click the schematic window to make it active.
2 Click the Tune Tool button on the toolbar.
3 Move the cursor over the L parameter of IND L1. The cursor displays as a
cross as shown in the following figure.

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 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Lumped Element Filter

4 Click to activate the L parameter for tuning. The parameter displays in an

alternate color.
5 Repeat Steps 2 through 4 for the IND L4 element and the C parameters of
the CAP C1 and CAP C3 elements.
6 Click the graph window to make it active.
7 Choose Simulate > Tune. The Variable Tuner dialog box displays.
8 Click a tuning button, and holding the mouse button down, slide the tuning
bar up and down. Observe the simulation change on the graph as the
variables are tuned.
9 Slide the tuners to the values shown in the following figure, and observe the
resulting response on the graph of the tuned circuit.

Getting Started Guide 4-11

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

s21 and s11

0

-10
DB(|S(1,1)|)
lpf
DB(|S(2,1)|)
-20
lpf

-30

-40

-50
100 300 500 700 900 1000
Frequency (MHz)

10 Click the X at the top right of the Variable Tuner dialog box to close it and
click the Tune Tool button on the toolbar to deactivate the tuner.

Creating Variables
Filters are typically symmetric circuits. To optimize the circuit, you must change
some of the parameter values to variables.
To create variables:
1 Click the schematic window to make it active.
2 Choose Draw > Add Equation .
3 Move the cursor into the schematic to display an edit box.
4 Position the edit box near the top of the schematic window and click to
place it.
5 Type “IND=15 ” (without the quotes) in the edit box, and then click outside
of the box.
6 Repeat Steps 2 through 5 to create a second edit box, but type “CAP=8 ”
(without the quotes).
7 Double-click the L parameter value of IND L1. An edit box displays. Type
the value “IND ” and then click outside of the edit box.

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Creating a Lumped Element Filter

8 Repeat Step 7 to change the L parameter value of IND L4 to “IND ”, and the
C parameter values of CAP C1 and CAP C3 to “CAP ”, as shown in the
following figure.

IND=15 CAP=8

PORT IND
P=1 IND ID=L2 IND IND
Z=50 Ohm ID=L1 L=30 nH ID=L3 ID=L4
L=IND nH L=30 nH L=IND nH

PORT
P=2
Z=50 Ohm
CAP CAP CAP
ID=C1 ID=C2 ID=C3
C=CAP pF C=10 pF C=CAP pF

To enable the IND and CAP variables for optimization:

1 Choose Simulate > Optimize. The Optimizer dialog box displays.
2 Click Variables at the bottom left of the dialog box to display the Variables
tab.
3 Locate the IND and CAP variables in the Parameter column.
4 Click the box in the Optimize column in both the IND and CAP rows.
5 Click the box in the Optimize column in the CAP C2 row, then click the X at
the top right of the dialog box to close it.

Getting Started Guide 4-13

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

Adding Optimization Goals

When you set an optimization goal, it is specified in the units set when the goal
is created.
To add optimization goals:
1 In the Project Browser, right-click Optimizer Goals and choose Add Opt
Goal .The New Optimization Goal dialog box displays.
2 Select lpf:DB(|S(1,1)) as the Measurement . Select Meas < Goal as the Goal
Type , deselect Max under Range and type “500 ” as the Stop value, type
“-17” db as the insertion loss Goal , and then click OK .

3 Repeat Step 1, then select lpf:DB(|S(2,1)) as the Measurement , select Meas

> Goal as the Goal Type, deselect Max under Range and type “500 ” as the
Stop value, type “-1 ” db as the attenuation Goal , and then click OK .

4 Repeat Step 1, then select lpf:DB(|S(2,1)) as the Measurement , select Meas

< Goal as the Goal Type, deselect Min under Range and type “700 ” as the
Start value, type “-30 ” as the Goal , and then click OK .

Optimizing the Circuit

1 Choose Simulate > Optimize. The Optimizer dialog box displays.
2 Click the arrow to the right of Optimization Methods and select Random
(Local) ,type “5000 ” in Maximum Iterations, and then click Start . The
optimization runs.

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 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Lumped Element Filter

3 When the optimization is complete, click the X box to exit the Optimizer
dialog box. The optimized response in the following schematic and graph
should display. Note that your IND and CAP values may vary slightly.

IND=16.74 CAP=9.648

PORT IND
P=1 IND ID=L2 IND IND
Z=50 Ohm ID=L1 L=30 nH ID=L3 ID=L4
L=IND nH L=30 nH L=IND nH

PORT
P=2
Z=50 Ohm
CAP CAP CAP
ID=C1 ID=C2 ID=C3
C=CAP pF C=11.07 pF C=CAP pF

s21 and s11

0
DB(|S(1,1)|)
-10 lpf
DB(|S(2,1)|)
-20 lpf

-30

-40

-50

-60
100 300 500 700 900 1000
Frequency (MHz)

Creating Vector Variables

MWO equation functionality enables optimization on subcircuits. The string
and vector variable features in the Equation Editor allow you to specify a vector
of subcircuits that can be optimized. To demonstrate this feature, the lpf
schematic is copied, edited, and renamed to create the vector of subcircuits.

Getting Started Guide 4-15

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

To create copies of the lpf schematic:

1 Click the “lpf” schematic in the Project Browser and drag and drop it onto
Circuit Schematics. A duplicate schematic named “Copy of lpf ” is created.
Repeat this process to create a second copy named “Copy 2 of lpf ”.

2 Right-click “Copy of lpf ” in the Project Browser, and choose Rename

Schematic. Type “lpf2” in the Rename Data Source dialog box. Repeat this
step to rename “Copy 2 of lpf ” to “lpf3”. The Project Browser displays as
follows.

To modify element parameters in the lpf2 and lpf3 schematics (so that each
schematic is different):
3 Click the “lpf2” schematic window to make it active. Double-click the IND
and CAP variables and change them to the following values.

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 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Lumped Element Filter

IND=9 CAP=8

PORT IND
P=1 IND ID=L2 IND IND
Z=50 Ohm ID=L1 L=30 nH ID=L3 ID=L4
L=IND nH L=30 nH L=IND nH

PORT
P=2
Z=50 Ohm
CAP CAP CAP
ID=C1 ID=C2 ID=C3
C=CAP pF C=11.07 pF C=CAP pF

4 Click the “lpf3” schematic window to make it active. Change the C

parameter value of CAP ID=C2 to the following value.

IND=16.74 CAP=9.648

PORT IND
P=1 IND ID=L2 IND IND
Z=50 Ohm ID=L1 L=30 nH ID=L3 ID=L4
L=IND nH L=30 nH L=IND nH

PORT
P=2
Z=50 Ohm
CAP CAP CAP
ID=C1 ID=C2 ID=C3
C=CAP pF C=13 pF C=CAP pF

To create a schematic which contains a subcircuit that references the three

schematics:
5 In the Project Browser, right-click Circuit Schematics and choose New
Schematic. Type “Opt_w_subckt” in the Enter Schematic Name dialog
box, then click OK .
6 In the Element Browser, click Subcircuits. Click the “lpf ” subcircuit and
drag it onto the “Opt_w_subckt” schematic window.
7 Place ports on the subcircuit as follows. (For details, see “Placing Ports on a
Node” on page 4-5.)

Getting Started Guide 4-17

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

SUBCKT
PORT ID= S1
P= 1 NET= "lpf"
Z= 50 Ohm
1 2

PORT
P= 2
Z= 50 Ohm

To create a vector of subcircuits and an index variable to optimize:

8 Create a vector variable Xvector={"lpf3","lpf2","lpf"} in the
Opt_w_subcircuit schematic as follows. (For details, see “Creating
Variables” on page 4-12.)

X vector={"lpf3","lpf2","lpf"}

SUBCKT
POR T ID = S1
P= 1 NET= "lpf"
Z= 50 Ohm
1 2

PORT
P= 2
Z= 50 O hm

9 Create an index variable X=Xvector[1] in the same schematic, and change

the NET parameter to “X” as shown in the following figure. (For details,
see “Editing Element Parameters” on page 4-6.)

Xvector={"lpf3","lpf2","lpf"}

X=Xvector[1]

SUBCKT
PORT ID=S1 PORT
P=1 NET=X P=2
Z=50 Ohm Z=50 Ohm
1 2

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 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Lumped Element Filter

Optimizing with Subcircuits

The variable X=Xvector[1] references the lpf3 subcircuit which can be tuned or
optimized over the vector of subcircuit elements by varying the index in the
variable. It is important to note that the index (and not the actual element in the
vector) is optimized and tuned.
1 Click the “s21 and s11” graph in the Project Browser and drag and drop it
onto Graphs. A duplicate graph named “Copy of s21 and s11” is created.

2 Right-click “Copy of s21 and s11” and choose Rename Graph . Type
“subckt opt” in the Rename Output Document dialog box and click OK .

Getting Started Guide 4-19

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

3 Double-click the lpf:DB(|S(1,1)) measurement under the “subckt opt”

graph in the Project Browser. The Modify Measurement dialog box
displays.
4 Select Opt_w_subckt as the Data Source Name and click OK.
5 Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the lpf:DB(|S(2,1)) measurement. The modified
measurements are shown as follows.

6 Choose Simulate > Analyze. The simulation response in the following

graph should display.

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 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Lumped Element Filter

7 Click the “Opt_w_subckt” schematic window to make it active. Select the

X=Xvector[1] equation, right-click, and choose Properties. The Edit
Equation dialog box displays.

8 Select the Optimize and Constrain check boxes under Tuning/Optimization

Mode. Type “1” as the Upper bound value and “3” as the Lower bound
value, then click OK .
9 Add an optimization goal for the Opt_w_subckt:DB(|S(1,1)) measurement
using the values shown in the following figure. For details, see “Adding
Optimization Goals” on page 4-14.

Getting Started Guide 4-21

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

10 Choose Simulate > Optimize. The Optimizer dialog box displays.

11 Click the arrow to the right of Optimization Methods and select Random
(Local) , type “100 ” in Maximum Iterations, and click Start . The simulation
runs.
12 When the simulation is complete, click the X box to exit the Optimizer
dialog box. The final optimized response in the following graph should
display.

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 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Lumped Element Filter

Xvector={"lpf3", "lpf2", "lpf"}

X=Xvector[3]="lpf"

SUBCKT
PORT ID=S1 PORT
P=1 NET=X P=2
Z=50 Ohm Z=50 Ohm
1 2

13 Save your work by choosing File > Save Project .

Getting Started Guide 4-23

 USING THE LINEAR SIMULATOR
4 Creating a Lumped Element Filter

4-24 MWO/VSS 2003

CREATING LAYOUTS FROM SCHEMATICS
..............................
5

.....
Layouts are views of the physical representations of a schematic. Layout is a critical
part of high-frequency circuit design and simulation, since the response of a circuit
is dependent on the geometric shapes with which it is composed.

LAYOUTS IN MICROWAVE OFFICE

Microwave Office’s layout capability, architected using advanced object-oriented
programming techniques, is tightly integrated with its schematic and EM structure
building capabilities. The Layout view is actually another view of the schematic, and
any modifications you make to a schematic are simultaneously updated in its
corresponding layout. This eliminates the need for complicated design
synchronization and back annotation before you perform your simulations.
The following example demonstrates basic layout features. Microwave Office offers
many advanced features that allow you to generate complex layouts such as MMIC
circuits and various types of multi-layer boards. For more advanced layout topics,
see the Microwave Office User Guide.

Layout Tips and Tricks

The following keyboard shortcuts are helpful as you use Microwave Office’s layout
capability.

Keystrokes Layout Function

Press the + key Zoom in

Press the - key Zoom out

Press the Home key Full view

Press the Ctrl key, select a shape, move Snap to corners, edges, and centers of
the mouse circles

Select a shape, hold down the mouse Move shape with coordinate entry
button, press the Tab key

Getting Started Guide 5-1

 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

Keystrokes Layout Function

Press Ctrl+Shift while clicking on Cycle through layered shapes/elements
layered shapes and select them individually

CREATING A LAYOUT FROM A SCHEMATIC

This example demonstrates how to use Microwave Office to create a layout
from a schematic. It includes the following main steps:
• Importing a Layer Process File (LPF)
• Editing Database Units and Default Grid Size
• Importing a cell library
• Importing and placing a data file in a schematic
• Changing an element symbol
• Placing microstrip lines for layout
• Assigning an artwork cell to a schematic element
• Viewing a layout
• Anchoring a layout cell
• Creating an artwork cell
• Manipulating the MTRACE2 element in layout
• Snapping functions in layout
• Exporting a layout

Creating a New Project

The example you create in this chapter is available in its complete form as
“layout_example.emp” in your Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\
Getting Started\Microwave Office\Layout directory. You can use this example file
as a reference.
To create a project:
1 Choose File > New Project .
2 Choose File > Save Project As. The Save As dialog box displays.
3 Navigate to the directory in which you want to save the project, type
“layout_example ” as the project name, and then click Save.

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Importing a Layer Process File

A Layer Process File (LPF) defines the default settings for the layout view,
including drawing layers, layer mappings, 3D views, and EMsight mappings.
To import an LPF:
1 Click the Layout tab at the lower left of the window to display the Layout
Manager.
2 Right-click Layer Setup in the Layout Manager, and choose Import Process
Definition .The Open dialog box displays.
3 Locate the program directory (C:\Program Files\AWR\AWR2003 is the
default installation directory) and double-click it to open it. If you changed
the default installation directory, then locate that directory instead when the
program directory is referenced.
4 Click the “MIC_English.lpf ” file and click Open . The following figure
shows the Layout Manager.

Layout Manager

Editing Database Units and Default Grid Size

A database unit is defined as the smallest unit of precision for a layout. It is very
important that this parameter is not changed once it is set. Changing database
units can cause rounding errors that may lead to problems in the layout file. The
grid size is important because many IC designs must reside on a grid. The grid
must be greater than or equal to the database unit. Because the grid multiplier’s
smallest unit is .1x, you should set the grid to 10 times the database unit to
prevent having a smaller grid than database unit.

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

To edit the database unit and grid size:

1 Choose Options > Layout Options. The Layout Options dialog box
displays.
2 On the Layout tab, type “.1” in Grid Spacing and “.01” in Database unit
size,and then click OK .

Importing a GDSII Cell Library

Cell libraries are used in Microwave Office to provide both the physical
packages and footprints for printed circuit board or hybrid design processes, as
well as the standard artwork cells used in MMIC and RFIC design processes.
Microwave Office supports the GDSII file format as the native drawing tool
format.
To import a GDSII cell library:
1 Right-click Cell Libraries in the Layout Manager and choose Read GDSII
Library.

2 Locate the program directory and double-click it to open it.

3 Double-click the Examples subdirectory, then double-click the Getting
Startedsubdirectory.
4 Select the packages.gds file and click Open . The imported cell library
displays in the Layout Manager. If a warning message displays, click OK .

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Creating a Layout From a Schematic

Importing a Data File

To import a data file:
1 In the Project Browser, right-click Data Files and choose Import Data File.
The Open dialog box displays.
2 Locate the program directory and double-click it to open it.
3 Double-click the Examples subdirectory, then double-click the Getting
Started and Microwave Office subdirectories.

4 Select the “N76038a.s2p” file and then click Open.

PLACING A DATA FILE IN A SCHEMATIC

To place a data file in a schematic:

1 Right-click Circuit Schematics in the Project Browser, choose New
Schematic, and create a schematic named “qs layout ”, then click OK .
2 In the Element Browser, expand the Subcircuits category.
3 Click the N76038a model and place it in the schematic window.

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

CHANGING THE GROUND NODE OF A DATA FILE

You may occasionally need to access the ground node of a data file.
To expose the ground node of a transistor data file:
1 Double-click the subcircuit element in the schematic window. The Element
Options dialog box displays.
2 Click the Ground tab.
3 Select Explicit ground node, then click OK .

Changing the Element Symbol

You can change the subcircuit symbol to represent a FET so that you can see
which nodes correspond to the gate, drain, and source.
To change the element symbol:
1 Double-click the subcircuit element in the schematic window. The Element
Options dialog box displays.
2 Click the Symbol tab.
3 Select [email protected] in the list box, and then click OK .

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

Placing Microstrip Elements for Layout

Microstrip elements have default layout cells associated with each element. The
layout cells are parameterized and dynamically sized to the values specified for
each parameter.
Microwave Office has specialized microstrip elements called Icells™ (intelligent
cells) that do not require any parameter values for the dimensions of the
element. Icells automatically inherit the necessary parameters from the
connecting element.
To place microstrip elements:
1 In the Element Browser, expand the Microstrip category, then click the
Lines subgroup. Select the MLIN model and place it onto node 1 of the
N7068a subcircuit in the schematic window.

MLIN
ID=TL1
2
W=50 mil
L=400 mil
1 SUBCKT
ID=S1
NET=N76038a

2 In the Microstrip category, click the Junctions subgroup. Select the

MTEE$ model and place it in the schematic window connected to the
MLIN element as shown in the following figure.
TIP: Elements with names ending in “$” inherit their attributes from the ports to
which they connect. Elements with names ending in “X” are created from a
look-up table of EM-generated models. Thus, the name “MTEEX$” is a
microstrip tee junction based on an EM model look-up table that inherits
its widths from the ports to which it connects.

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

MLIN
ID=TL1
2
MTEE$ W=50 mil
ID=TL2 L=400 mil
1 SUBCKT
1 2 ID=S1
NET=N76038a
3
3

3 In the Microstrip category, click the Lines subgroup. Select the MTRACE2
model and place it in the schematic window onto node 1 of the MTEE$
element.
4 Select the MLEF model and place it in the schematic window. Right-click
three times to rotate the element, then position it onto node 3 of the
MTEE$ element.
5 Double-click the MTRACE2 element in the schematic window to display
the Element Options dialog box.
6 Edit the MTRACE2 parameters to match those shown in the following
figure, then click OK .
7 Repeat step 6 for the MLIN and MLEF elements to match their parameters
to those shown in the following figure.

MTRACE2
ID=X1
W=10 mil MLIN SUBCKT
L=200 mil ID=TL1 ID=S12
BType=2 MTEE$ W=10 mil NET="N76038a"
M=0.6 ID=TL2 L=100 mil
1
1 2

3
3

MLEF
ID=TL3
W=20 mil
L=150 mil

8 Click the Substrates category, then select the MSUB model and place it on
the schematic window as shown in the following figure.

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

9 Double-click the MSUB element in the schematic window to display the

Edit Element dialog box. Edit the MSUB parameters to match those in the
following figure, then click OK .

MTRACE2
ID=X1
W=10 mil MLIN SUBCKT
L=200 mil ID=TL1 ID=S12
BType=2 MTEE$ W=10 mil NET="N76038a"
M=0.6 ID=TL2 L=100 mil
1
1 2

MSUB 3
Er=9.8
H=10 mil
MLEF T=0.1 mil
ID=TL3 Rho=1
W=20 mil Tand=0
L=150 mil ErNom=9.8
Name=SUB1

10 Click the Port button on the toolbar, move the cursor onto the schematic,
position the port on the left node of the MTRACE2 element as shown in
the following figure, and click again to place it.
11 Add another port to node 2 of the SUBCKT element. Right-click three
times to rotate the port, position it, and click again to place it.
12 To complete the schematic, click the Ground button on the toolbar, move
the cursor into the schematic, position the ground on node 3 of the
SUBCKT element, and click again to place it.

Getting Started Guide 5-9

 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

PORT
P=2
Z=50 Ohm
MTRACE2
ID=X1
W=10 mil MLIN
L=200 mil ID=TL1 2
BType=2 MTEE$ W=10 mil
M=0.6 ID=TL2 L=100 mil
PORT 1 SUBCKT
P=1 1 2 ID=S1
Z=50 Ohm NET="N76038a"
3

MSUB 3
Er=9.8
H=10 mil
MLEF T=0.1 mil
ID=TL3 Rho=1
W =20 mil Tand=0
L=150 mil ErNom=9.8
Name=SUB1

Assigning an Artwork Cell to a Schematic Element

Artwork cells that represent a package layout can be assigned to a schematic
element.
To assign an artwork cell:
1 Double-click the “N76038a” subcircuit element in the schematic window to
display the Element Options dialog box.
2 Click the Layout tab.
3 Select Alpha_212_3 in the cell list at the right of the dialog box, then click
OK .

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Creating a Layout From a Schematic

Viewing a Layout
The schematic and layout are different views of the same database. Edits made
to the parameters in the schematic are instantly updated in the layout, and vice
versa.
To view a layout:
1 Click the schematic window to make it active.
2 Choose View > New Layout View or click the New Schematic Layout View
button on the toolbar to view a layout representation. The layout displays in
a layout window.
3 Choose Edit > Select All to select all of the layout cells.
4 Choose Edit > Snap Together to snap all of the faces of the artwork cells
together.

Anchoring a Layout Cell

Layout cells have various properties that determine the connectivity of each cell
in the layout view. One of the important properties is anchoring. Anchoring a
layout cell holds the cell in place so that it cannot be moved by snapping
functions. An anchored layout cell is typically used to define a reference point
for the layout.
To anchor a layout cell:
1 Select the “Alpha_212_3” artwork cell. Right-click, and choose Shape
Properties to display the Cell Options dialog box.

Getting Started Guide 5-11

 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

2 Click the Layout tab, select the Use for anchor check box, and click OK .
The artwork cell now has an anchor symbol as shown in the following
figure.

Creating an Artwork Cell

To create an artwork cell:
1 Click the Layout tab to activate the Layout Manager.
2 Right-click Packages and choose New Layout Cell . The Create New Layout
Cell dialog box displays.
3 Name the cell “chip cap” and click OK . A drawing window displays in the
workspace.

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Creating a Layout From a Schematic

4 Click the Set Grid Snap Multiple button on the toolbar and set it to 10x.
5 Click the Copper box in the left column of the lower pane to enable copper
as the active layer, as shown in the following figure. (Do not click the light-
bulb, as that specifies hiding or showing drawing layers.)

Click this box to

enable copper as
the active layer.

6 Choose Draw > Rectangle.

7 Move the cursor into the drawing window, then press the Tab key. The
Enter Coordinates dialog box displays.
8 Type the values “0 ” and “10 ” in x and y, respectively, and click OK .

9 Press the Tab key again to display the Enter Coordinates dialog box.
10 Type the values “10 ” and “-10 ” in dx and dy, respectively, and click OK . The
following figure shows the resulting drawing. (You may need to adjust your
view by choosing View > Zoom In or View > Zoom Out .)

Getting Started Guide 5-13

 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

11 Click the Footprint box in the left column of the lower pane of the Layout
Manager to enable footprint as the active layer.
12 Click the “chip cap” window to make it active.
13 Choose Draw > Rectangle.
14 Move the cursor into the “chip cap” window, then press the Tab key. The
Enter Coordinates dialog box displays.
15 Type the values “10 ” and “10 ” in x and y, respectively, and click OK .
16 Press the Tab key again to display the Enter Coordinates dialog box.
17 Type the values “20 ” and “-10 ” in dx and dy, respectively, and click OK . The
following figure shows the resulting drawing.

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

18 Click the copper square in the “chip cap” window, and press Ctrl+C then
Ctrl+V to copy and paste it. Slide the mouse to position the copied square
along the right edge of the rectangle as shown in the following figure, and
click to place it.

Getting Started Guide 5-15

 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

ADD PORTS TO AN ARTWORK CELL

Ports in the artwork cell editor define the faces to which other layout cells
connect. The orientation of the port arrow determines the direction of
connection to the adjacent layout cell.
To add ports to an artwork cell:
1 Choose Draw > Cell Port .
2 Move the cursor into the “chip cap” window. Press and hold the Ctrl key
while you move the cursor over the bottom left vertex of the square until a
square symbol displays on the vertex. Do not release the Ctrl key.

3 With the Ctrl key still pressed, click and hold down the mouse button while
moving the cursor to the top vertex, until another square displays on that
vertex. Release the mouse button and the Ctrl key.

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Creating a Layout From a Schematic

4 Repeat steps 1 through 3 to place a port on the opposite side of the

drawing, but start at the top vertex and draw down.

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

5 Click the X at the top right of the “chip cap” window. A dialog box asks if
you want to save the cell edits. Click Yes to save.

Editing the Schematic and Assigning a Chip Cap Cell

To edit the schematic and assign a chip cap cell:
1 Click PORT 1 in the schematic window.
2 Press and hold the Ctrl key while you drag the port away from the
MTRACE2 element, as shown in the following figure.

PORT
P=2
Z=50 Ohm
MTRACE2
ID=X1
W =10 mil MLIN
L=200 mil ID=TL1 2
BType=2 MTEE$ W=10 mil
M=0.6 ID=TL2 L=100 mil
PORT 1 SUBCKT
P=1 1 2 ID=S1
Z=50 Ohm NET="N76038a"
3

MSUB 3
Er=9.8
H=10 mil
MLEF T=.1 mil
ID=TL3 Rho=1
W=20 mil Tand=0
L=150 mil ErNom=9.8
Name=SUB1

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Creating a Layout From a Schematic

3 In the Element Browser, expand the Lumped Element category, then click
the Capacitor subgroup. Select the CAP model, and place it in the
schematic window between PORT 1 and the MTRACE2 element.
4 Double-click the CAP C1 element in the schematic window. The Element
Options dialog box displays.
5 Click the Layout tab.
6 Select “chip cap” from the list of cells, then click OK .

7 Choose View > New Layout View. The new layout displays in the workspace.
The layout and corresponding schematic are shown in the following figures.

PORT
P=2
Z=50 Ohm
MTRACE2
ID=X1
W=10 mil MLIN
CAP L=200 mil ID=TL1
ID=C1 2
BType=2 MTEE$ W=10 mil
C=1 pF
M=0.6 ID=TL2 L=100 mil
PORT SUBCKT
1
P=1 1 2 ID=S1
Z=50 Ohm NET="N76038a"
3

MSUB 3
Er=9.8
H=10 mil
MLEF T=.1 mil
ID=TL3 Rho=1
W=20 mil Tand=0
L=150 mil ErNom=9.8
Name=SUB1

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

Routing the MTRACE2 Element in Layout

The MTRACE2 element is a special element that you can edit in the layout view
to route a microstrip line.
To route the MTRACE2 element:
1 Double-click the MTRACE2 element in the Layout View to activate the
blue grab diamonds.
2 Move the cursor over the right-most diamond until a double arrow symbol
displays. Double-click to activate the routing tool.

3 Move the routing tool to the desired point and click to place. (Right-click to
delete the last point; press the Esc key to cancel the activity.)

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4 Continue to route points by moving the routing tool and clicking to place,
then double-click to complete the routing.

TIP: MLIN is a straight element with a width you can change in the layout. You
can edit the MTRACE2 elements in the layout to create jogs and bends and
chamfered corners. You can edit the MCTRACE element to create jogs and
bends with rounded corners.

Snapping Functions for Layout Cells

Snapping functions connect the faces of artwork cells in various configurations.
You can set snapping options from the Layout Options dialog box.
To specify the snapping options:
1 Choose Options > Layout Options. The Layout Options dialog box
displays.
2 In the Layout tab, select Manual snap selected objects only under Layout
Cell Snap Options, then click OK .

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

To separate the layout cells so the change in snapping options is viewable:

3 Click the MLEF layout cell and drag it to a new position as shown in the
following figure.

4 Repeat step 3 with the MTRACE2 element and the chip cap cell. Position
the layout cells as shown in the following figure.

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

The red lines indicate that the faces of the layout cells are not snapped together.
To snap a selected set of layout cells together:
5 Hold down the Shift key and select the MLEF, MTRACE2, and MTEE$
layout cells in the layout window.

6 Click the Snap Together button on the toolbar. Observe that the chip cap
layout cell and MLIN layout cell are not snapped together.

Getting Started Guide 5-23

 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

To snap all of the faces together:

7 Type Ctrl+A to select all of the layout cells.
8 Click the Snap Together button on the toolbar. The layout displays as
shown in the following figure.

The “snap to fit” function finishes the routing of an MTRACE2 layout cell to a
specified adjacent layout cell. In this example, the chip cap layout cell is moved
and MTRACE2 re-routes to snap to the chip cap face.
To “snap to fit” MTRACE2 to the chip cap:
9 Position the chip cap artwork cell as shown in the following figure.

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

10 Select the MTRACE2 layout cell, hold down the Shift key and select the
chip cap artwork cell.

11 Click the Snap to Fit button on the toolbar. The MTRACE2 routes to snap
to the chip cap artwork cell as shown in the following figure.

Getting Started Guide 5-25

 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

Exporting the Layout

To export a layout:
1 Choose Options > Drawing Layers to specify the file layers to export. The
Layer Setup dialog box displays.
2 Click the Export Mapping tab.
3 Click the DXF tab at the bottom of the dialog box, and in the Write Layer
column, deselect all of the drawing layers except the copper layer, then click
OK .

4 Choose Layout > Export . The Export Layout dialog box displays.

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 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

5 Select DXF(Flat*.dxf) in Save As Type.

6 Type “CopperLayer ” as the Filename, and click Save to export the copper
file layer to a DXF file.

7 Save your work by choosing File > Save Project .

Getting Started Guide 5-27

 CREATING LAYOUTS FR OM SCHEMATICS
5
Creating a Layout From a Schematic

5-28 MWO/VSS 2003

USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
...............................
6

.....
Harmonic balance (HB) is an efficient method for the steady-state analysis of
nonlinear circuits such as power amplifiers, mixers, multipliers and oscillators.
This chapter presents an overview of HB simulations in Microwave Office. For
more detailed information, see the Microwave Office User Guide.

HARMONIC BALANCE IN MICROWAVE OFFICE

Microwave Office simplifies HB simulation setup. The schematic entry,
measurements, and analysis are accomplished much as they are for a linear
simulation. Unlike linear analysis, HB requires the presence of voltage, current,
or power sources. Microwave Office includes a variety of intuitive source
elements and allows you to specify single- and multi-tone excitations. The HB
simulator is automatically invoked when appropriate excitations are present in
the schematic, and corresponding measurements exist.

Single-Tone Analysis
A single-tone HB analysis simulates the circuit at a fundamental frequency, at
integer multiples of the fundamental frequency, and at DC. Single-tone
harmonic balance requires the specification of a fundamental frequency (or a
frequency sweep) and the total number of harmonics.

Multi-Tone Analysis
Multi-tone simulations are used to determine the output of a circuit excited by
two or more frequencies that cannot be expressed as integer multiples of one
another. Typical examples include the LO and RF signals in a mixer and closely
spaced tones used for intermodulation testing of amplifiers.

Nonlinear Measurements
Microwave Office offers a large number of post-processing functions for
viewing simulation results in both the frequency and the time domain. Examples

Getting Started Guide 6-1

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

include large signal S-parameters, voltages and currents at arbitrary nodes,

intercept points, power spectra and power-added efficiency. Results may be
swept over any number of arbitrary parameters.
The following example illustrates some of the key features of the Microwave
Office nonlinear simulator.

CREATING A POWER AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT

This example demonstrates how to use Microwave Office to simulate a power
amplifier circuit using the HB nonlinear simulator.
The basic procedures in this example include:
• Using nonlinear models from the element library
• Creating an IV curve measurement
• Biasing the transistor and measuring voltages and currents
• Adding schematic back annotation
• Importing a schematic
• Creating a hierarchical circuit using subcircuits
• Creating a power out versus frequency measurement
• Creating a dynamic load line measurement
• Adding a two-tone excitation port

Creating a New Project

The example you create in this chapter is available in its complete form as
“nonlinear_example.emp” in your Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\
Getting Started\Microwave Office\Nonlinear directory. You can use this example
file as a reference.
To create a project:
1 Choose File > New Project .
2 Choose File > Save Project As. The Save As dialog box displays.
3 Navigate to the directory in which you want to save the project, type
“nonlinear_example ” as the project name, and then click Save.

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 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

SETTING DEFAULT PROJECT UNITS

To set default project units:

1 Choose Options > Project Options. The Project Options dialog box
displays.
2 Click the Global Units tab and verify that your settings match those in the
following figure. You can choose units by clicking the arrows to the right of
the display boxes.

3 Click OK to save your settings.

Creating a Schematic
To create a schematic:
1 Choose Project > Add Schematic > New Schematic. The Create New
Schematic dialog box displays.
2 Type “IV Curve ”, and click OK . A schematic window displays in the
workspace.

PLACING A NONLINEAR MODEL FROM THE LIBRARY

To place a nonlinear model:

1 Click the Elem tab at the lower left of the window to display the Element
Browser.

Getting Started Guide 6-3

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

2 Expand the Library category, then expand the Nonlinear and Getting
Startedsubgroups. Click the GBJT subgroup, then select the BLT11_chip
model and place it as shown in the following figure.

GBJT
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1

2 C

1 4
B S

3 E

PLACING AN IV CURVE METER ON THE NONLINEAR ELEMENT

To place an IV curve meter element with stepped current:

1 Under Circuit Elements, expand the MeasDevice category, then click the IV
subgroup. Select the IVCURVEI model and place it as shown on the
following schematic.
2 Place the cursor over the Step node of IVCURVEI. The cursor displays as a
wire coil symbol. Click, then drag the cursor to node 1 of the GBJT
transistor, and click to place the wire.
3 Repeat step 2 to connect the Swp node of IVCURVEI to node 2 of the
GBJT transistor.
4 Click the Ground button on the toolbar. Move the cursor into the schematic
window and position the ground on node 3 of the GBJT transistor, then
click to place it.

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Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

GBJT
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1

2 C

1 4
B S

3 E
IVCURVEI
ID=IV1
VSWEEP_start=0 V
VSWEEP_stop=4 V
VSWEEP_step=1 V
ISTEP_start=0 mA
ISTEP_stop=10 mA
ISTEP_step=2 mA

Swp Step

EDITING THE IV CURVE METER ELEMENT

To specify IVCURVEI settings:

1 In the schematic window, double-click the IVCURVEI element. The
Element Options dialog box displays.
2 Edit the parameters to the values shown in the following figure, then click
OK .

Getting Started Guide 6-5

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

ADDING AN IV CURVE MEASUREMENT

To create a graph and add an IV curve measurement:

1 In the Project Browser, right-click Graphs and choose Add Graph . The
Create Graph dialog box displays.
2 Type “IV BJT” in Graph Name, select Rectangular as the Graph Type, and
click OK . The graph displays in the workspace.
3 Right-click the “IV BJT” graph in the Project Browser, and choose Add
Measurement . The Add Measurement dialog box displays.
4 Select Nonlinear > Current in Meas. Type and IVCurve in Measurement .
Select IVCurve as the Data Source Name, and click OK .
5 Choose Simulate > Analyze. The simulation response in the following
graph displays.
TIP: You can disable parameter markers by right-clicking on the graph and
choosing Properties. On the Markers tab of the Graph Properties dialog
box, clear the Param markers enabled and Param markers in legend check
boxes.

Creating a Bias Circuit

To create a DC bias circuit:
1 Choose Project > Add Schematic > New Schematic. The Create New
Schematic dialog box displays. Type “DC Bias ” and click OK .

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 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
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2 In the Element Browser, expand the Library category, then expand the
Nonlinear and GettingStarted subgroups. Click the GBJT subgroup, then
select the BLT11_chip model and place it on the schematic as shown in the
following figure.
3 Expand the Lumped Element category, then click the Inductor subgroup.
Select the IND model, and place it above and to the left of the GBJT
transistor as shown in the following figure.
4 Place the cursor on node 1 of the GBJT transistor. The cursor displays as a
wire coil symbol. Click, then drag the cursor to the right node of IND, and
click to place the wire.
5 Double-click the IND model and set the L parameter to “1 ”, then click OK .
6 Click the Resistor subgroup under Lumped Element. Select the RES model
and place it as shown in the following figure after right-clicking once to
rotate the element.

IND
ID=L1
L=1 uH

GBJT
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1

2 C

1 4
B S

3 E

RES
ID=R1
R=1 Ohm

7 Double-click the RES model and set the R parameter to “0.5 ”, then click
OK .

8 Click the Ground button on the toolbar and position the ground on the
bottom of RES R1 as shown in the following figure.
9 Repeat step 8, positioning the ground on node 4 of the GBJT transistor as
shown in the following figure.
10 Expand the Sources category, then click the DC subgroup. Select the
DCVS model and place it as shown in the following figure.

Getting Started Guide 6-7

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

11 Click the Ground button on the toolbar and position the ground on the
open end of DCVS V1 as shown in the following figure.
12 Double-click the DCVS model and set the V parameter to “1 ”, then click
OK .

13 Click IND L1 in the schematic window. Press Ctrl+C, then Ctrl+V to copy
and paste it. Connect the new IND element to node 2 of the GBJT model
as shown in the following figure.
14 Copy the DCVS model and place the copy on the open node of IND L2 as
shown in the following figure.
15 Double-click the DCVS V2 model and set the V parameter to “6 ”, then
click OK .
16 Click the Ground button on the toolbar and position the ground on the
negative node of DCVS V2 as shown in the following figure.
IND IND
ID=L1 ID=L2
L=1 uH L=1 uH

DCVS
ID=V1
V=1 V
DCVS
ID=V2
V=6 V

GBJT
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1

2 C

1 4
B S

3 E

RES
ID=R1
R=0.5 Ohm

ADDING SCHEMATIC BACK ANNOTATION

To add schematic back annotation to display DC voltage and current

measurements:
1 Right-click the “DC Bias” schematic in the Project Browser and choose
Add Annotation . The Add Annotation to the Schematic dialog box displays.

2 Specify a voltage measurement using the settings in the following figure,

then click OK .

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3 Specify a current measurement using the settings in the following figure,

then click OK .

4 Choose Simulate > Analyze. The voltage displays at all nodes and the
current displays at each element as shown in the following figure.

Getting Started Guide 6-9

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

IND IND
ID=L1 ID=L2
L=1 uH L=1 uH

3.76 mA 295 mA
DCVS 3.76 mA
ID=V1 1V
V=1 V
DCVS 295 mA
ID=V2 6V
V=6 V

0V GBJT
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1

2 C 295 mA
6V

1 4
B3.76 mA S
1V

3 E

299 mA
0.149 V

RES
ID=R1
R=0.5 Ohm

ADDING A HARMONIC BALANCE PORT

Before adding a harmonic balance port, you must add DC blocking capacitors
to the transistor input and output.
To add DC blocking capacitors:
1 Click the “DC Bias” schematic window in the workspace to make it active.
2 In the Element Browser, expand the Lumped Element category, then click
the Capacitor subgroup. Select the CAP model and connect it to node 1 of
the GBJT transistor as shown in the following figure.
3 Double-click the CAP model and set the C parameter to “100 ”, then click
OK .

4 Copy the CAP model (hereinafter referred to as CAP C1) and connect the
copy (CAP C2) to node 2 of the GBJT transistor as shown in the following
figure.
You must also add an RF bypass capacitor across the emitter resistor.
To add an RF bypass capacitor:
5 Copy the CAP C1 model and place the copy (CAP C3) to the left of RES
R1 after right-clicking once as shown in the following figure.
6 Connect the top node of CAP C3 to node 3 of the GBJT transistor.

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Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

7 Connect a wire between the bottom node of CAP C3 and ground.

IND IND
ID=L1 ID=L2
L=1 uH L=1 uH

3.76 mA 295 mA
DCVS 3.76 mA
ID=V1 1V
V=1 V
DCVS 295 mA
ID=V2 6V
V=6 V

CAP
ID=C2
0V C=100 pF

CAP 295 mA
ID=C1 2 C
6V
C=100 pF GBJT
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1
1 4
B3.76 mA S
1V

3 E

299 mA
0.149 V

CAP RES
ID=C3 ID=R1
C=100 pF R=0.5 Ohm

To add a harmonic balance port:

1 In the Element Browser, expand the Ports category, then click the
Harmonic Balance subgroup. Select the PORT1 model and connect it to
CAP C1 as shown in the following figure.
2 Double-click PORT1 and set the PWR parameter to “23 ”, then click OK .
3 Click the Port button on the toolbar and add a port to the open node of
CAP C2 (output blocking) as shown in the following figure. This port is
considered a termination port.

Getting Started Guide 6-11

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

IND IND
ID=L1 ID=L2
L=1 uH L=1 uH

3.76 mA 295 mA
DCVS 3.76 mA
ID=V1 1V
V=1 V
DCVS 295 mA
ID=V2 6V
V=6 V

CAP
ID=C2
0V C=100 pF

PORT1
P=1 CAP 295 mA
ID=C1 2 C
Z=50 Ohm 6V PORT
Pwr=23 dBm C=100 pF GBJT P=2
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1 Z=50 Ohm
1 4
B3.76 mA S
1V

3 E

299 mA
0.149 V

CAP RES
ID=C3 ID=R1
C=100 pF R=0.5 Ohm

SPECIFYING NONLINEAR SIMULATION FREQUENCIES

You can specify simulation frequencies in several ways:

• As a global sweep in Project Options (Options > Project Options >
Frequencies tab)

• As a document sweep, (right-click the schematic node and choose

Options > Frequencies tab)
• By placing a SWPFRQ component (found under Circuit Elements in
the Simulation Control category) on the schematic.
You select the frequency sweep used by the simulator in the Add/Modify
Measurement dialog, as shown in “Adding a Large Signal Reflection Coefficient
Measurement” on page 6-13. The following step defines the frequency sweep
using a document sweep, which is the simplest and most convenient means.
To specify a document frequency sweep:
1 In the Project Browser under Circuit Schematics, right-click “DC Bias”
and choose Options. The Options dialog box displays.
2 Click the Frequencies tab.
3 Clear the Use project defaults check box, select GHz as the Data Entry
Units, select Replace, specify the Start, Stop and Step values shown in the

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 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

following figure, click Apply to display the values in Current Range, and
then click OK .

ADDING A LARGE SIGNAL REFLECTION COEFFICIENT

MEASUREMENT

Microwave Office makes it easy to compute large-signal network parameters.

The following exercise demonstrates how to compute the large signal reflection
coefficient and display it on a Smith Chart.
To create a Smith Chart:
1 In the Project Browser, right-click Graphs and choose Add Graph . The
Create Graph dialog box displays.
2 Type “Input reflection” in Graph Name, select Smith Chart as the Graph
Type ,and click OK .
To add a large signal reflection measurement:
3 Right-click “Input reflection” under Graphs and choose Add Measurement .
The Add Measurement dialog box displays.
4 Select Nonlinear > Parameter as the Meas. Type, Gcomp as the
Measurement , and DC Bias as the Data Source Name . Select PORT_1 as the
Measurement Component , click the arrows to the right to select 1 in
Harmonic Index , and then click Apply and OK .

Note the frequency sweep control which simplifies control of the

simulation frequencies and allows you to select among the available

Getting Started Guide 6-13

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

frequency sweeps. The default setting is the document sweep discussed in

“Specifying Nonlinear Simulation Frequencies” on page 6-12.

5 Choose Simulate > Analyze. The following simulation response displays on

the Smith Chart.

Input reflection Gcomp(PORT_1,1)

DC
Swp Bias
Max
1.0
0.8

2.5GHz
0.6

2.0

4
0.
3.0

4.0
5.0
0.2

10.0
10.0
0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0
5.0
0

-10.0

-0.2
-5.0
-4.0

.0
-3
.4
-0
.0
-2
-0.6

Swp Min
-0.8

-1.0

1.5GHz

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Importing Schematics
The input and output matching for the amplifier are imported from existing
schematics.
To import the input match schematic:
1 In the Project Browser, right-click Circuit Schematics and choose Import
Schematic. The Open dialog box displays.
2 Locate the C:\Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting
directory and double-click it to open
Started\Microwave Office\Nonlinear
it.
3 Select the “input match.sch” file and click Open to import and open the
schematic.

TLIN
ID=TL1
PORT
Z0=10 Ohm
P=1
EL=83 Deg
Z=50 Ohm
F0=1.9 GHz

PORT
TLIN P=2
ID=ind1 TLOC
ID=TL2 Z=50 Ohm
Z0=78 Ohm
EL=25 Deg Z0=21 Ohm
F0=1.9 GHz EL=90 Deg
F0=1.9 GHz

To import the output match schematic:

4 Right-click Circuit Schematics and choose Import Schematic.
5 Select the “output match.sch” file from the previously opened directory
and click Open to import and open the schematic.

Getting Started Guide 6-15

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

T LI N
I D= q ua r
PORT Z 0= 3 0 O h m
P =2 E L= 8 8 D e g
Z =5 0 O h m F 0= 1 .9 G Hz

P O RT
TL I N P =1
I D= i nd Z = 5 0 O hm
Z 0= 8 0 O h m
E L= 2 2 D e g
F 0= 1 .9 G Hz

CA P
I D= C 1
C = 1 00 p F

Adding Subcircuits to a Schematic

Whenever an n-port schematic is created or imported it automatically becomes
an n-port subcircuit. You can use these subcircuits within other schematics to
create circuit hierarchy.
To add the input match subcircuit to the DC Bias schematic:
1 In the Project Browser under Circuit Schematics, double-click “DC Bias”
to display the DC Bias schematic.
2 Click PORT1 in the schematic window, then press and hold the Shift key
while clicking on CAP C1. Both PORT1 and CAP C1 should be selected
(and are now considered one unit).
3 Press the Ctrl key and click once on the selected elements, then drag them
to the left of the circuit to break their connection with the circuit, as shown
in the following figure.

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IND IND
ID=L1 ID=L2
L=1 uH L=1 uH

DCVS
ID=V1
V=1 V
DCVS
ID=V2
V=6 V

CAP
ID=C2
C=100 pF

PORT1
P=1 CAP
ID=C1 2 C
Z=50 Ohm PORT
Pwr=23 dBm C=100 pF GBJT P=2
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1 Z=50 Ohm
1 4
B S

3 E

CAP RES
ID=C3 ID=R1
C=100 pF R=0.5 Ohm

4 In the Element Browser, click the Subcircuits category then select the
“input match” subcircuit and place it on the schematic between CAP C1
and node 1 of the GBJT transistor as shown in the following figure.

IND IND
ID=L1 ID=L2
L=1 uH L=1 uH

DCVS
ID=V1
V=1 V DCVS
ID=V2
V=6 V

CAP
ID=C2
C=100 pF

PORT1 SUBCKT
P=1 CAP ID=S1
ID=C1 2 C
Z=50 Ohm NET="input match" PORT
Pwr=23 dBm C=100 pF GBJT P=2
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1 Z=50 Ohm
1 2 1 4
B S

3 E

CAP RES
ID=C3 ID=R1
C=100 pF R=0.5 Ohm

5 If the subcircuit nodes do not properly connect with the capacitor and
transistor you may need to slightly move the elements until the proper
connections are made.

Getting Started Guide 6-17

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

6 Repeat steps 2 and 3 with PORT2 and CAP C2 as shown in the following
figure.

IND IND
ID=L1 ID=L2
L=1 uH L=1 uH

DCVS
ID=V1
V=1 V DCVS
ID=V2
V=6 V

CAP
ID=C2
C=100 pF

PORT1 SUBCKT
P=1 CAP ID=S1
ID=C1 2 C
Z=50 Ohm NET="input match" PORT
Pwr=23 dBm C=100 pF GBJT P=2
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1 Z=50 Ohm
1 2 1 4
B S

3 E

CAP RES
ID=C3 ID=R1
C=100 pF R=0.5 Ohm

7 Click the Subcircuits category then select the “output match” subcircuit
and connect it to the open node of CAP C2 after right-clicking twice to invert it,
as shown in the following figure.
8 Connect node 2 of the output match subcircuit to node 2 of the GBJT
transistor.
9 Double-click the Pwr parameter value of the PORT1 element. An edit box
displays over the value. Type “18 ” to change the value from 23 to 18 dBm,
then click outside the edit box to save the change.

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IND IND
ID=L1 ID=L2
L=1 uH L=1 uH

DCVS
DCVS ID=V2
ID=V1
V=6 V
V=1 V

SUBCKT
ID=S2 CAP
NET="output match" ID=C2
C=100 pF

PORT1 SUBCKT
P=1 CAP 2 1
ID=S1 2 C
Z=50 Ohm ID=C1 NET="input match" PORT
Pwr=18 dBm C=100 pF GBJT P=2
ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1 Z=50 Ohm
1 2 1 4
B S

3 E

CAP RES
ID=C3 ID=R1
C=100 pF R=0.5 Ohm

Creating a Pout vs. Frequency Measurement

To create a graph and add a measurement (Pout versus frequency):
1 In the Project Browser, right-click Graphs and choose Add Graph . The
Create Graph dialog box displays.
2 Type “Pout” in Graph Name, select Rectangular as the Graph Type, and
click OK .
3 Right-click “Pout” in the Project Browser and choose Add Measurement .
The Add Measurement dialog box displays.
4 Create a measurement using the settings in the following figure, then click
OK .

Getting Started Guide 6-19

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
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Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

5 Choose Simulate > Analyze. The simulation response in the following

graph displays.

Pout
29

28 DB(|Pcomp(PORT_2,1)|) (dBm)
DC Bias

27

26
1.5 2 2.5
Frequency (GHz)

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Creating a Dynamic Load Line Measurement

A dynamic load line measurement plots the large signal performance of the
circuit superimposed on the IV curve of the device.
To create a dynamic load line measurement:
1 In the Project Browser, right-click “IV BJT” under Graphs and choose Add
Measurement . The Add Measurement dialog box displays.
2 Create a measurement using the settings in the following figure, then click
OK .

To select the Voltage Measure Component and Current Measure

Component , click the “...” button to the right of these options. The
Component Browser shown in the following figure displays to allow you to
select the desired components.

Getting Started Guide 6-21

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
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Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

3 Choose Simulate > Analyze. The simulation response in the following

graph displays.

IV BJT
1200

800

400

IVCurve() (mA)
IV Curve
-400
0 5 10
IVDLL(GBJT.GP_BLT11_chip_1@2,GBJT.GP_BLT11_chip_1@ce)[1] (mA) 15
DC Bias Voltage (V)

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Copying a Schematic in the Project Browser

The next exercise involves a two-tone simulation that is swept over power at one
frequency point. It requires a new schematic of the same circuit with a different
port configuration. To create the new schematic, you can duplicate the existing
schematic and edit the port configurations.
To duplicate the DC bias schematic:
1 Click “DC bias” under Circuit Schematics, drag it up to the Circuit
Schematics node and release the mouse button. A duplicate schematic
named “Copy of DC” bias is created.
2 Right-click the “Copy of DC Bias” schematic and choose Rename
Schematic. Rename the schematic to “Two Tone Amp” in the Rename Data
Source dialog box, and then click OK .

ADDING A TWO-TONE HARMONIC BALANCE PORT

A common measurement used to characterize power amplifiers is a third-order

intermodulation product versus swept power. To make this measurement, two
closely-spaced tones must be injected into the input port.
To add a two-tone harmonic balance port:
1 Click the “Two Tone Amp” schematic window in the workspace to make it
active. You can press the Home key to view the entire schematic.
2 Double-click PORT1 in the schematic window. The Element Options
dialog box displays.
3 Click the Port tab.
4 Specify the port settings shown in the following figure.

Getting Started Guide 6-23

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

5 Click the Parameters tab and edit the parameters to the values shown in the
following figure, then click OK .

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 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

ADDING A THIRD-ORDER INTERMODULATION MEASUREMENT

To add a third-order intermodulation product measurement:

1 Create a rectangular graph named “IM3 ”.
2 Right-click “IM3” under Graphs and create a measurement using the
settings in the following figure, then click OK .

3 Repeat step 2 to plot a fundamental component output power, this time

selecting “0 ” and “1 ” under Harmonic Index .
4 Choose Simulate > Analyze. The simulation response in the following
graph should display.

Getting Started Guide 6-25

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

IM3
30

-30 DB(|Pcomp(PORT_2,2_-1)|)[1,X] (dBm

Two Tone Amp
DB(|Pcomp(PORT_2,0_1)|)[1,X] (dBm)
-60 Two Tone Amp

-90
-10 0 10 20 30
Power (dBm)

USING VARIABLE SWEEPS TO MEASURE IP3 VS VOLTAGE

The output-referred IP3 measurement extrapolates the low-power results, so in

this exercise you create another schematic to avoid multidimensional (voltage
and power) sweeps.
To create a schematic for the IP3 measurement:
1 Copy the “Two Tone Amp” schematic under Circuit Schematics.
2 Right-click the “Copy of Two Tone Amp” schematic and rename it “IP3 ”.
To change the port excitation to a fixed power:
3 Double-click Port_PS2 P=1. In the Element Options dialog box, click the
Porttab and clear the Swept power check box, then click OK . The port
name changes to Port2 P=1.
4 Double-click the Pwr1 and Pwr2 parameter values of PORT2 P=1 and
change both to “-10” .

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 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

To define a swept variable:

1 Choose Draw > Add Equation . You can also click the Equation button on
the toolbar.
2 Move the cursor into the schematic to display an edit box. Position the box
near the top of the schematic window and click to place it.
3 Type “Vcc=1 ” in the edit box, and then click outside of the box. A variable
named “Vcc” is created.
4 In the Element Browser, click the Simulation Control category, then select
the SWPVAR element and place it as shown in the following figure.

IND
ID=L2 DCVS
L=1 uH ID=V2
Vcc=1
V=6 V

IND
DCVS ID=L1
ID=V1 L=1 uH
V=1 V

I_METER CAP
ID=AMP1 ID=C2
PORT2 C=100 pF
P=1 GBJT
Z=50 Ohm ID=GP_BLT11_chip_1
Fdelt=0.2 GHz 2 1
SUBCKT
Pwr1=-10 dBm CAP ID=S1 PORT
ID=C1 2 C
Pwr2=-10 dBm NET="input match" SUBCKT P=2
Ang1=0 Deg C=100 pF ID=S2 Z=50 Ohm
1 2 1 4 NET="output match"
B S

V_METER
3 E ID=VM1

SWPVAR
ID=SWP1
VarName="Vcc"
Values=stepped(4,8,0.5) CAP RES
UnitType=None ID=C3 ID=R1
C=100 pF R=0.5 Ohm
Xo . . . Xn

5 Specify the SWPVAR parameter settings shown in the following figure to

define Vcc as a variable swept between 4 and 8 in steps of 0.5, then click
OK .

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 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

6 Double-click the V parameter value of DCVS V2 and change it to “Vcc ”.

To add a graph and measurement:
1 Add a rectangular graph named “IP3”.
2 Create a measurement using the settings in the following figure, then click
OK .

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Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

3 Choose Simulate > Analyze to obtain the output-referred IP3 intercept,

swept over the bias voltage, as shown in the following graph.

OIPN(PORT_2,0_1,-1_2,3)[*,X] (dBm)
IP3
40 IP3 p3
p4
p1
p2
p5

38 p6

36

34

32 p1: Freq = 1.5 GHz

p2: Freq = 1.7 GHz
30 p3: Freq = 1.9 GHz
p4: Freq = 2.1 GHz
28
4 5 6 7 p5: Freq = 2.38 GHz
p6: Freq = 2.5 GHz

4 Save your work by choosing File > Save Project .

Getting Started Guide 6-29

 USING THE NONLINEAR SIMULATOR
6
Creating a Power Amplifier Circuit

6-30 MWO/VSS 2003

USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
..............................
7

.....
Electromagnetic (EM) simulators use Maxwell’s equations to compute the
response of a structure from its physical geometry. EM simulations are ideal
because they can simulate highly arbitrary structures and still provide very
accurate results. In addition, EM simulators are not subject to many of the
constraints of circuit models because they use fundamental equations to
compute the response. One limitation of EM simulators is that simulation time
grows exponentially with the size of the problem, thus it is important to
minimize problem complexity to achieve timely results.

EM SIMULATION IN MICROWAVE OFFICE

EM simulation and circuit simulation are complementary techniques for circuit
design, and the two approaches can be used in combination to solve many
design problems. Microwave Office (MWO) supports the seamless integration
of many EM simulators via an “EM Socket” software interface. To integrate a
third-party simulator with the AWR Design Environment, the simulator must
support an interface complementary to the “EM Socket” interface. One such
simulator is the latest version of Sonnet® em® (www.SonnetSoftware.com). Since it
is not possible to document the unique features of all third-party simulators that
integrate with MWO, the example presented here is centered around Applied
Wave Research’s native EM simulator, EMSight. The manipulation of the
geometry and simulations settings in the AWR Design Environment are very
similar for all simulators. Detailed documentation of the unique functionality
supplied by other compatible solvers is available from the individual vendors.
EMSight can simulate planar 3D structures containing multiple metallization
and dielectric layers. The structures can have interconnecting vias between layers
or to ground. EMSight uses the Galerkin Method of Moments (MoM) in the
spectral domain, an extremely accurate method for analyzing microstrip,
stripline, and coplanar structures as well as other more arbitrary media. Properly
used, this technique can provide accurate simulation results up to 100 GHz and
beyond.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 7-1
 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

The following example illustrates some of the key features of the Microwave
Office EM simulator.

CREATING A DISTRIBUTED INTERDIGITAL FILTER

This example demonstrates how to use Microwave Office to simulate a
distributed microstrip interdigital filter using the EM simulator.
The basic procedures in this example include:
• Creating an EM structure
• Defining an enclosure
• Adding a substrate definition
• Creating a layout
• Modelling via holes
• Viewing a structure in 3D
• Defining ports and de-embedding lines
• Viewing current density and electric fields

Creating a New Project

The example you create in this chapter is available in its complete form as
“EM_example.emp” in your Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\
Getting Started\Microwave Office\EM directory. You can use this example file as a
reference.
To create a project:
1 Choose File > New Project .
2 Choose File > Save Project As. The Save As dialog box displays.
3 Navigate to the directory in which you want to save the project, type
“EM_example ” as the project name, and then click Save.

Creating an EM Structure
To create an EM structure:
1 Choose Project > Add EM Structure > New EM Structure. The New EM
Structure dialog box displays.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

2 Type “Interdigital Filter ” and select the AWR EMSight Simulator from the
list of EM Simulators available on your computer, then click Create. An EM
structure window displays in the workspace.

TIP: EMSight uses a rectilinear grid for defining structures. When you set up
designs, use the coarsest grid possible when defining structures, as this
provides faster simulation time (usually without any compromise in
simulation accuracy.) Other third-party EM simulators may only use the
grid for drawing purposes and the density may not matter-- see the third-
party simulator documentation for further details.

SETTING UP THE ENCLOSURE

The enclosure defines all the dielectric materials for each of the layers in an EM
structure, sets the boundary conditions, and defines the overall physical size of
the structure and minimum grid units used to specify conductor materials in the
structure.
To set up the enclosure:
1 Choose Options > Project Options. The Project Options dialog box
displays.
2 Click the Global Units tab and select the Metric units check box, then set
the Length type to “mm ” and click OK .
3 In the Project Browser, under EM Structures and “Interdigital Filter”,
double-click Enclosure. The Substrate Information dialog box displays.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

4 Under Box Dimensions, type “10 ” as the X-Dimension , type “50 ” in X-

Divisions,
type “10 ” as the Y-Dimension , and type “50 ” in Y-Divisions.

To define the dielectric layers of the enclosure:

5 Click the Dielectric Layers tab in the Substrate Information dialog box.
6 Select Layer 1 under Dielectric Layer Parameters. Type “3 ” in the edit box
(near the bottom of the dialog box) in the Thickness column and type “1 ”
in the edit box below the er column. Leave the default values in the
remaining columns.
TIP: In EMSight, simulations run twice as fast if they are loss-less. Therefore, set
the Loss Tangent to zero and use perfect conductors to define all the
metallization and vias in an EM structure.
7 Select Layer 2 under Dielectric Layer Parameters. Type “0.635 ” in the edit
box in the Thickness column and type “9.8 ” in the edit box below the er
column. Type “0.001 ” in the edit box below the Loss Tangent column and
type “4 ” in the edit box below the View Scale column (this expands the 3D
view for this layer to four times its normal thickness).
8 Select Layer 3 (if present) and click the Delete button.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

VIEWING BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

In EMSight, the boundary conditions for the sidewalls of the enclosure are
always perfect conductors and cannot be modified. Third-party simulators may
make other assumptions for the sidewall boundary conditions-- for details, see
the vendor documentation for the solver used. The boundary conditions for the
top and bottom of the enclosure have default perfect conductors, but they can
be modified. You do not modify the default boundary conditions in this
example.
To view the boundary conditions:
1 Click the Boundaries tab in the Substrate Information dialog box.
2 Click OK to complete the enclosure set up procedure.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

Adding Conductors to the Layout

You can use the Microwave Office EM Simulation Editor to draw physical
structures for simulation. You can also import structures directly from the
Applied Wave Research layout tool, or import structures from AutoCAD DXF
or GDSII. In this example you draw the physical layout of a microstrip
interdigital filter using the EM simulation editor.
To draw the physical layout:
1 Ensure that the Layer 2 tab is active in the EM structure window.
2 Choose Draw > Add Rect Conductor to add a rectangular conductor.
3 Move the cursor into the Interdigital Filter window, and press the Tab key.
The Enter Coordinates dialog box displays.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

4 Type “0 ” as the value of x and “2.2 ” as the value of y, and then click OK .
5 Press the Tab key again to display the Enter Coordinates dialog box. Ensure
that the Re (relative) check box is selected, type “2.2 ” as the value of dx,
and “0.6 ” as the value of dy, and then click OK . A rectangular conductor
displays in the EM structure window.

To draw a second rectangular conductor:

6 Choose Draw > Add Rect Conductor.
7 Move the cursor into the Interdigital Filter window, and press the Tab key.
The Enter Coordinates dialog box displays. Type “4 ” as the value of x and
“2 ” as the value of y, and then click OK .

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

8 Press the Tab key again to display the Enter Coordinates dialog box. Type
“1.2 ” as the value of dx and “7.2 ” as the value of dy, and then click OK . A
second rectangular conductor displays in the EM structure window.

To move the second rectangular conductor next to the first conductor:

9 Click the second rectangular conductor. Squares display at the rectangle’s
corners.
10 Slide the cursor over the selected conductor until the cursor displays as a
cross.
11 Click and hold down the mouse button. A dx, dy readout displays in the
window, as shown in the following figure.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

TIP: Click the Ruler button on the toolbar to measure the dimension of
conductors, offsets, or spaces in an EM structure layout.
12 Drag the cursor until the dx, dy readout displays dx:-2 and dy:-1, then
release the button to place the rectangle.

Adding Vias
Vias are interconnects between substrate layers. You must add a via to ground
one side of the larger conductor to the bottom of the enclosure.
To add a via:
1 Choose Draw > Add Via .
2 Move the cursor into the Interdigital Filter window and press the Tab key.
The Enter Coordinates dialog box displays. Type “2.4 ” as the value of x and
“1.2 ” as the value of y, and then click OK .
3 Press the Tab key again to display the Enter Coordinates dialog box. Type
“0.4 ” as the value of dx and “0.8 ” as the value of dy, and then click OK . A
via displays in the Interdigital Filter window, with blue squares in its corners
to show that it is selected.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

4 Choose Edit > Copy, then choose Edit > Paste.

5 Move the mouse into the EM structure window. An outline of the copied
via displays.
6 Right-click once to rotate the via.
7 Press the Tab key to display the Enter Coordinates dialog box. Deselect Re
to activate absolute coordinates. Type “2.2 ” as the x value and “1.8 ” as the y
value, and then click OK . The new EM structure displays as follows.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

Viewing the Structure in 3D

The EM simulator supports multiple 2D (structure) and 3D views.
To create a 3D view:
1 Choose View > New 3D View. A window containing the 3D view displays in
the workspace.
2 Choose Window > Tile Vertical . The views display side-by-side.
TIPS: To change the view of a 3D structure, right-click in the 3D window and
choose Zoom In , Zoom Out , View Area , or View All .
To rotate a 3D structure, click anywhere in the 3D window and continue to
hold down the mouse button while you move the mouse.

Adding Ports and De-embedding Lines

The EM simulator can have electrical ports defined at the edge of the defining
box (edge ports) or as a via probe coming in from the top or bottom surfaces
(via ports).
To define an edge port:
1 Click the smaller conductor in the EM structure window. Note that this
conductor must be positioned exactly on the left edge of the substrate (X:0;
Y:2.2) before you can add an edge port to it.
TIP: Choose View > Zoom In once or twice to magnify the view for the following
steps.

Getting Started Guide 7-11

 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

2 Choose Draw > Add Edge Port .

3 Position the cursor to the left edge of the small conductor until the outline
of a square displays, and click to place the port. A small box with the
number 1 (indicating port 1) displays at the left edge of the conductor.

To subtract (de-embed) an amount of electrical length from the simulation

results, the reference plane for the port must be moved away from the edge of
the box.
To de-embed 1mm of electrical length on port 1:
4 Right-click in the EM structure window and choose View Area .
5 With the cursor displayed as a magnifying glass, click and drag the cursor
around port 1 and the small conductor. The window zooms in on the
selected area.
6 Click port 1. Four squares display at its corners.
7 Slide the mouse over the edge of the port until the cursor displays as a
double arrow.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

8 Click and hold down the mouse button to display a dx or dy readout.

9 Drag the cursor to the right until the dx, dy readout displays dx:1. Release
the mouse button to place the de-embedding line.

Specifying the Simulation Frequencies

To specify the simulation frequencies:
1 In the Project Browser, right-click “Interdigital Filter” under EM Structures
and choose Options. The Options dialog box displays.
2 Click the Frequencies tab.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

3 Clear the Use project defaults check box to give local frequency settings
precedence over global project frequency settings.
4 Ensure that GHz displays in Data Entry Units.
TIP: You can define the simulation frequency globally (by choosing Options >
Project Options and clicking the Frequencies tab) or locally using these
steps. It is best to use the local frequency settings for EM structures as you
typically want to sweep EM structures with fewer frequency points than
with linear circuits. Data is obtained at the project frequencies using
interpolation and/or extrapolation.
5 Specify the Start, Stop and Step values shown in the following figure, click
Apply to display the values in Current Range, and then click OK .

Running the EM Simulator

The EM simulator is very fast for electrically small structures. To find the
resonant frequency of the first resonator of the filter, you can run an EM
simulation on the initial layout of the Interdigital Filter EM structure.
To simulate the structure:
1 Under EM Structures and “Interdigital Filter”, double-click Information .
The Solver Information dialog box displays if EMSight is the selected
simulator. The estimated solve time for the EM structure and other
information displays, depending on the selected solver. For more
information about the data displayed for third-party simulators, see the
vendor documentation.

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Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

2 Click OK to close the dialog box.

3 Choose Simulate > Analyze. A dialog displays to indicate the simulation
progress. The progress bar(s) and text are controlled by the electromagnetic
simulator, so the details of the steps in the analysis may vary.
TIP: (EMSight) If the amount of memory required to solve a problem is greater
than the available memory, try redefining the problem so that it runs within
the available memory of the computer. You may need to add RAM to solve
large problems efficiently.

Getting Started Guide 7-15

 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

Displaying Results on a Graph

To determine the resonant frequency, you must plot the return loss of the EM
structure.
To measure the resonant frequency on a graph:
1 In the Project Browser, right-click Graphs and choose Add Graph . The
Create Graph dialog box displays.
2 Type “EM Graph 1” in Graph Name, select Rectangular as the Graph Type,
and click OK . The graph displays in the workspace.
3 Right-click the “EM Graph 1” graph in the Project Browser, and choose
Add Measurement . The Add Measurement dialog box displays.
4 Create a measurement using the settings in the following figure, then click
OK .

5 Choose Simulate > Analyze. The simulation response in the following

graph displays. The measurement indicates that the resonant frequency is
near 4 GHz.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

DB(|S(1,1)|)
EM Graph 1
0 Interdigital Filter

-0.01

-0.02

-0.03

-0.04
1 2 3 4 5
Frequency (GHz)

To determine a more precise measurement of the resonant frequency, you must

change the frequency range and step size of the simulation.

Changing Frequency Range and Step Size

To change the simulation frequency range and step size:
1 In the Project Browser, right-click “Interdigital Filter” under EM Structures
and choose Options. The Options dialog box displays.
2 Click the Frequencies tab.
3 Type “3 ” in Start , type “5 ” in Stop, and type “0.1 ” in Step. Click Apply,
then click OK.
4 Choose Simulate > Analyze to re-analyze the circuit. The simulation
response in the following graph displays.

Getting Started Guide 7-17

 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

DB(|S(1,1)|)
EM Graph 1 Interdigital Filter
0

-0.1

-0.2

-0.3

-0.4
3 3.5 4 4.5 5
Frequency (GHz)

Animating Currents and Viewing E-Fields

Viewing the currents and electric fields of an EM structure can be useful when
studying its physical characteristics. Currently, EMSight is the only simulator
which can display currents and E-fields within the AWR Design Environment.
For details on imaging when using an alternate simulator, see the associated
vendor documentation.
To animate the currents on the conductors:
1 Click the 3D window of the Interdigital Filter EM structure to make it
active.
2 Choose Animate > Animate Play. The animated currents in the 3D view
display in the workspace.

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Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

3.635

0.635

0
0
10
Y Axis

X Axis
10 0

3 Choose Animate > Animate Stop to turn off the animation.

To display the electric field of Layer 2:
4 Choose Animate > E-Field Settings. The E-Field Computation dialog box
displays.

5 Select the Layer 2 check box and click OK .

6 Choose Simulate > Analyze to compute the electric fields.
7 Choose Animate > Animate Play to view the currents and electric field.
8 Choose Animate > Animate Stop to turn off the animation.
TIP: This animation illustration may vary depending upon your computer
configuration.

Getting Started Guide 7-19

 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

3.635

0.635

0
0

Y Axis 10

X Axis
10 0

To turn off the electric field computations:

9 Choose Animate > E-Field Settings. The E-Field Computation dialog box
displays.
10 Clear the Layer 2 check box and click OK .

Completing the Filter Layout

To complete the following filter you use some advanced editing features in the
drawing window.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

To add the small conductor on the end of the input resonator:

1 Click the Interdigital Filter window to make it active.
2 With your cursor in the window, right-click and choose View All .
3 Choose Draw > Add Rect Conductor. Press the Tab key to display the Enter
Coordinates dialog box.
4 Type “2 ” as the x value and “8.2 ” as the y value, then click OK .
5 Press the Tab key again to display the Enter Coordinates dialog box. Select
the Re check box to change the relative coordinates. Type “-0.4 ” as the dx
value and “-0.2 ” as the dy value, then click OK . A rectangular conductor
displays in the EM structure window.

To draw the output resonator:

6 Choose Edit > Select All .
7 Choose Edit > Copy, and then choose Edit > Paste. An outline of the input
resonator displays.
8 Move the cursor to place the outline of the copied instance directly on top
of the original input resonator, and click. The newly created instance is still
selected, as shown in the following figure.

Getting Started Guide 7-21

 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

9 Choose Edit > Flip.

10 Move the cursor into the middle of the EM structure window. Click, and
drag the cursor down, then release the mouse button. The selected instance
flips as follows. Leave the flipped instance selected.

You must move the flipped instance to align the output line with the edge of the
structure. To move the flipped instance:
11 Move the cursor over the selected instance until the cursor displays as a
cross.
12 Click, and drag the outline of the instance until the output line aligns with
the edge of the structure as follows, then release the mouse button.

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Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

1
output line

edge of structure

To create the middle resonator:

13 Click near the top left corner of the left-most resonator, and holding the
mouse button down, drag the cursor down and to the right so the dashed
box encompasses the resonator, and then release the mouse button. The
large conductor and the two vias are selected.

14 Choose Edit > Copy, then choose Edit > Paste. An outline of the copied
instance displays.
15 Move the cursor to the middle of the EM structure window to move the
copied instance to the middle of the window, then right-click twice to rotate
the instance 180-degrees.

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

16 Press the Tab key to display the Enter Coordinates dialog box.
17 Deselect Re to change the relative coordinates. Type “5.6 ” as the x value
and “9.2 ” as the y value, and then click OK . The EM Structure displays as
follows.

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Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

Adding a Port
To complete the EM structure, you must add a port to the output line.
To add a port to the output line and de-embed 1mm of electrical length:
1 Click the rightmost conductor in the EM structure window.
TIP: Choose View > Zoom In once or twice to magnify the view for the following
steps.
2 Choose Draw > Add Edge Port .
3 Position the cursor on the right edge of the conductor until the outline of a
square displays, and click to place the port. A small box with the number 2
(indicating port 2) displays at the right edge of the conductor.
4 Right-click in the EM structure window and choose View Area .
5 With the cursor displayed as a magnifying glass, click and drag the cursor
around port 2 and the small conductor. The window zooms in on the
selected area.
6 Click port 2. Four squares display at its corners.
7 Move the cursor over the edge of the port until it displays as a double arrow.
8 Click and hold down the mouse button to display a dx or dy readout.
9 Drag the cursor to the left until the dx, dy readout displays dx:-1. Release
the mouse button to place the de-embedding line. The final layout is shown
in the following figure.

Getting Started Guide 7-25

 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

10 Choose Simulate > Analyze to re-analyze the circuit.

Adding a Measurement to the Graph

To add an s21 measurement to the graph:
1 Right-click the “EM Graph 1” graph in the Project Browser, and choose
Add Measurement . The Add Measurement dialog box displays.

2 Create a measurement using the settings in the following figure, then click
OK .

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 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

3 Choose Simulate > Analyze. The final simulation response on the following
graph displays.

EM Graph 1
0 DB(|S(1,1)|)
Interdigital Filter
DB(|S(2,1)|)
-20 Interdigital Filter

-40

-60

-80
3 3.5 4 4.5 5
Frequency (GHz)

4 Save your work by choosing File > Save Project .

Getting Started Guide 7-27

 USING THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATOR
7 Creating a Distributed Interdigital Filter

7-28 MWO/VSS 2003

SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS
...................................
8

.....
This chapter provides a brief outline of the theory behind the Visual System
Simulator (VSS), and includes a procedure for a simple amplitude modulation to
demonstrate how a simulation is performed in VSS. The first section describes
the basic philosophy of the simulator, and the example describes use of several
key VSS features.

OVERVIEW OF VSS THEORY

VSS is a sampled time-domain simulator that uses a fixed time step which is set
either by the default system settings for every system diagram, or by individual
blocks inside a system diagram (usually sources) and inherited by subsequent
blocks. This section outlines several important aspects of a VSS simulation,
including data types, the concept of Complex Envelope signal representation,
center frequency and sampling frequency and their importance, and finally the
concept of parameter propagation.

Data Types
All VSS blocks have input and output nodes which handle (and operate on) data
belonging to one of four basic data types: Digital, Real, Complex, or Unset.
Each VSS block node color corresponds to its data type: green for Digital,
yellow for Real, red for Complex, and white for an Unset data type. Unset nodes
indicate the block supports two or more data types. You can double-click an
unset node to redefine it as a specific node type. For example, ADD2, a two-
input adder (located in the Element Browser under System Blocks in the Math
Tools > Adders category) has Unset nodes by default, signifying that it adds the
data coming into its two nodes and provides the sum at its output node
regardless of the data type. Another example is the behavioral amplifier AMP_B
(located in the Element Browser under System Blocks in the RF Blocks >
Behavioral category), which also has its ports unset. The amplifier block
supports both real and complex signals, but does not support digital signals.
Digital data types comprise streams of digital data with abrupt transitions (such
as a pseudo-random sequence of bits generated by a source to perform a

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 8-1
 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS
8

Monte-Carlo simulation of a digital communication system). Real data refers to

any real waveform observed in communication systems, for example, sinusoids,
real passband noise, or possibly a sawtooth waveform. You can use these two
data types to represent any waveform encountered in natural system design.
Complex data deserves more attention because it is a compact way to represent
complex baseband data (with frequency content concentrated around DC, as
required by modern communication systems), as well as real passband
waveforms via the Complex Envelope (CE) signal representation.

Complex Envelope Signal Representation

As a sampled time-domain system simulator, a basic underlying concept of VSS
is that of sampling frequency-- something not encountered in nature (where all
signals and waveforms are analog, i.e., they exist in continuous time), but more
and more prevalent in modern measurement equipment, a growing portion of
which samples the measured data at a uniform specified rate before
manipulating or processing it.
In general, sampling an analog signal into a discrete time representation is an
information-lossless operation only if the sampling frequency exceeds two times
the highest frequency content of the analog signal. In such cases, recovery of the
original analog waveform from its sampled stream is typically perfect via an ideal
lowpass filter. Otherwise, a phenomenon known as aliasing occurs, and it is not
possible to reconstruct the original analog waveform based on the sampled
stream.
This concept places a significant burden on any time-domain systems simulator,
because in a simulated transmitter/receiver chain it forces the overall sampling
frequency to be at least twice the highest frequency component anywhere in the
system. This is somewhat wasteful, since up- or down-conversion chains usually
include carrier-modulated passband signals of relatively low frequency content
(bandwidth) concentrated around a very high frequency carrier. In principle, the
signal of interest is the modulating signal and not the carrier, and assuming an
interest in a narrow band of frequencies around a center frequency, this
modulating signal can be more efficiently represented by its Complex Envelope
(CE), assuming the frequencies very far away from the carrier are filtered out
anyway. For example, consider a GSM signal, which has a bandwidth of a few
hundred kHz, but is modulated on a 1.9 GHz carrier. In principle, a sampling
frequency of 5 MHz (more correctly, 5 Msamples/sec) can adequately describe
the signal in its CE form, but to also comfortably sample the carrier, the
sampling frequency must be at least 3.8 GHz, and more comfortably 5 GHz, or

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 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS

5 Gsamples/sec. It is obvious how the two different approaches can result in a

simulation speed difference of three orders of magnitude!
VSS utilizes the CE representation of signals whenever possible to gain the
tremendous advantage in simulation speed discussed here, without
compromising simulation accuracy. Specifically, a real passband signal x ( t ) ,
representing a narrowband modulation centered about a high frequency
sinusoidal carrier with frequency f c is mathematically represented as:
x ( t ) = x c ( t ) ⋅ cos 2πf c t – x s ( t ) ⋅ sin 2πf c t ,
where x c ( t ) and x s ( t ) are real lowpass signals, with bandwidth much smaller
than the carrier frequency f c , and are called the in-phase and quadrature
components of the real passband signal x ( t ) . The signal can be represented by
its Complex Envelope (CE) form c ( t ) , where:
j2πf c t
x ( t ) = Re { c ( t ) ⋅ e },
and, therefore, it holds that the CE lowpass signal is:
c ( t ) = xc ( t ) + j ⋅ xs ( t ) .
VSS utilizes the CE lowpass equivalent signal c ( t ) wherever possible to allow
for orders-of-magnitude-faster narrowband simulation. To this end, each signal
at any point in the simulation has a sampling frequency, and a center frequency tag
associated with it. For example, a plain tone at frequency 2 GHz for which the
real passband signal is x ( t ) = cos 2πf c t ), can be easily generated using the
SIN_C block, located under System Blocks in the Sources > Waveforms
category and represented in CE form in any of the following ways:
• as having a center frequency of 2 GHz and an offset frequency of 0, in
which case c ( t ) = 1.0 + j ⋅ 0.0 bears a center frequency tag of 2 GHz,
or
• as having a center frequency of, for example, 1 GHz and offset
frequency of 1 GHz, in which case c ( t ) = exp ( j2π ⋅ 1e9 ⋅ t ) bears a
center frequency tag of 1 GHz, or
• as having a center frequency of 0 and an offset frequency of 2 GHz, in
which case c ( t ) = exp ( j2π ⋅ 2e9 ⋅ t ) bears a center frequency tag of 0.
When working with RF tones, the TONE block, located under System Blocks
in the Sources > RF Sources category, is preferred, as all frequencies are
specified in absolute frequency and power is specified in dB/dBm.
All of these CE forms show the same spectrum plot (the 2 GHz tone
corresponding to the real passband signal x ( t ) = cos 2πf c t ), although the time
domain waveform generated by VSS is internally different. The center

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 8-3
 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS
8

frequency tag is a parameter propagated implicitly, but internally the signal is

modeled as a CE lowpass equivalent.
As another example, the GSM signal previously discussed would also be in CE
lowpass equivalent form in VSS; a sequence of complex numbers sampled at 5
MHz and bearing only a center frequency tag of 1.9 GHz, and not a series of
real samples taken at a rate of 5 Gsamples/sec. Of course, if the latter more
cumbersome approach is desired, VSS provides the capability to switch any
signal to real passband representation via the CE-to-Real block (CE2R) located
under System Blocks in the Converters > Complex Envelope category.
Note that VSS treats complex signals depending on their context, their center
frequency, and the block performing the operation. For example, blocks found
under the System Blocks Math Tools > Math Functions category simply
perform standard complex arithmetic on their input complex signals, treating
them as ordinary complex numbers. Modulation mapper and detection blocks in
the Modulation category treat the series of complex samples as baseband I/Q
symbols. Blocks designed to operate on RF signals, such as those in the Filters
or RF Blocks categories treat complex signals with non-zero center frequency as
CE representations of a real signal centered around a carrier at the center
frequency. When the center frequency is 0, by default the RF amplifier, RF
mixer and circuit filter blocks treat the complex signal as a pair of real signals
representing separate I and Q channels.

Center Frequency and Sampling Frequency

It is important to note that the CE representation of signals can greatly reduce
simulation time, but requires careful choice of the sampling frequency, such that
the frequencies of interest are included in a simulation. Any simulated CE signal
only exists for frequencies that lie in the interval:
fs fs
f c – ---, f c + --- ,
2 2
where f c is the center frequency of the signal, and f s is the sampling frequency.
Therefore, to examine the frequency content (for example, the Adjacent
Channel Power Ratio, or ACPR) of the previous GSM signal at a frequency
offset of 30 MHz from the 1.9 GHz carrier (the signal’s center frequency tag),
you must make sure the sampling frequency is at least f s ≥ 60 MHz, so that the
signal exists between 1.87 GHz and 1.93 GHz, or [ f c – ( f s ⁄ 2 ), f c + ( f s ⁄ 2 ) ] .
Because VSS is geared towards digital communication applications, many of its
blocks (and the entire system diagram) have Data Rate and Oversampling
associated with them.

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 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS

The Data Rate is the number of digital communication symbols per second.
Inside a VSS system diagram the default data rate is denoted _DRATE. A
symbol can differ in meaning, depending on the modulation specifics. For
example, for the previous GSM, the symbol rate or data rate is set by the
standard as 270.833 ksymbols/sec, and since in this case every symbol is one bit,
it translates to 270.833 kbits/sec. To simulate a satellite link using Quadrature
Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation to transmit 100 Mbits/sec, you set the
symbol rate (or data rate) of the QPSK source block to 50 Msymbols/sec
(because each QPSK symbol corresponds to 2 bits). The QPSK_SRC block is
found under the System Blocks Modulation > QPSK category.
Each of these symbols can be represented with any number of samples
(oversampling). Inside a VSS system diagram the default number of samples per
symbol is denoted _SMPSYM. For the QPSK example, you can have 10
samples per symbol, which is a total sampling frequency of:
f s = ( DataRate ) ⋅ ( Oversampling ) = 500 MHz.
As previously explained, if the center frequency tag of this QPSK signal is 5
GHz, the signal will exist for 250 MHz on either side of the 5 GHz carrier (from
4.75 GHz to 5.25 GHz).
For digital communications, the data rate and oversampling values, and the
center frequency tag of each signal are important. You can set these values on
the Simulator tab of the System Simulator Options dialog box (as shown in the
following example) or in the source blocks in the simulation (usually at the
beginning of a simulated chain) and they are subsequently propagated along any
constructed simulation chain. At any point in the system diagram you can use
the System Tools FRQ_PROP measurement to check the propagated
parameters.

Parameter Propagation
An important VSS feature for increasing ease of use is Parameter propagation,
previously briefly introduced when discussing propagation of the sampling
frequency and the center frequency by all VSS blocks to other blocks further
downstream in the simulation chain. This procedure of parameter propagation
is bidirectional, and also occurs from the end to the beginning of a simulation
chain. In VSS, the forward and backward parameter propagation occurs for a
variety of parameters, a small set of which are center frequency, sampling
frequency, and oversampling (there are others too, such as signal and noise
levels, and delay and phase distortion).

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 8-5
 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS
8

For example, you can place a QPSK transmitter inside a system diagram,
configure it for the properties of the specific transmission scenario (data rate,
pulse shaping, power, etc.), but then not repeat the corresponding settings in a
receiver block. This is done automatically via parameter propagation by the
simulator at the start-up phase of each simulation. Even more impressively, you
can place an amplifier block and/or a filter somewhere in the simulation chain
between the transmitter and receiver, and then not need to adjust the signal
arriving at the receiver for delay and phase rotation introduced by the filter, or
for gain introduced by the amplifier. All of these parameters are automatically
propagated forward by the simulator, thus allowing the receiver block to adjust
the received signal for them. As a result, even the first time, you can set up and
run a relatively involved BER simulation of a transmitter/receiver chain in just a
few minutes.
The details of parameter propagation for each individual block are explained in
the block Help. For instance, an amplifier doesn’t alter the propagated value of
the center frequency tag at its input, but does alter the propagated signal and
noise levels, according to its gain (and possibly noise figure). A mixer block with
a center frequency f m, c arriving at its input node, and a center frequency f LO, c
arriving at its LO node propagates as a center frequency either the sum
f m, c + f LO, c (if it is in up-conversion mode) or the difference f m, c – f LO, c (if it is
in down-conversion mode). A filter block increases the propagated value of
delay at its output by adding to the propagated delay at its input the amount of
delay it introduces itself to the signal.

AM-MODULATION EXAMPLE
In this example a sinusoidal data signal with a frequency of 2 GHz is modulated
onto a sinusoid carrier of 41 GHz.
AM modulation is described as:
X AM ( t ) = C ⋅ [ A + m ( t ) ] cos ω c ⋅ t

where m(t) is the message data signal; a sinusoidal signal of frequency 2 GHz
given by:
m ( t ) = B cos ω ⋅ t

A represents the DC level of the message signal and B and C represent the
amplitudes of the carrier and the message signal respectively.

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 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS

The procedures in this example include:

• Creating a project
• Setting default system settings
• Creating a system diagram
• Placing blocks in the system diagram
• Specifying System Simulator options
• Adding graphs and measurements
• Running the simulation and analyzing the results

Creating a Project
The first step in building and simulating your designs is to create a project. You
use a project to organize and manage related designs, and everything associated
with them, in a tree-like directory structure.
The example you create in this chapter is available in its complete form as
“AM.emp” in your Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting
Started\VSS\AM directory. You can use this example file as a reference.
To create a project:
1 Start VSS if not already started. To start VSS, click Start on your desktop,
choose Programs > AWR Suite 2003 > AWR Design Environment , or
double-click the corresponding shortcut on your desktop. For information
on installing, setting up shortcuts and starting VSS, see “Installing MWO/
VSS” on page 2-1.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 8-7
 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS
8

2 Choose File > New Project.

3 Choose File > Save Project As. The Save As dialog box displays.
4 Navigate to the directory in which you want to save the project, type “AM ”
as the project name, and then click Save. The project name displays in the
title bar.

Setting Default System Settings

Before creating a simulation you should set the default system settings.
To set default project units:
1 Choose Options > Project Options. The Project Options dialog box
displays.
2 Click the Global Units tab and verify that your settings match those in the
following figure. You can choose units by clicking the arrows to the right of
the display boxes.

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 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS

3 Click OK to save your settings.

Creating a System Diagram

The system diagram is the canvas upon which you build end-to-end
communications systems and graphically develop algorithms using VSS
behavioral blocks. A VSS project can include multiple system diagrams, linear
and nonlinear schematics, and netlists.
To create a system diagram:
1 Choose Project > Add System Diagram > New System Diagram. The
Create New System Diagram dialog box displays.

2 Type “AM ”, and click OK . A system diagram window displays in the

workspace and the “AM” system diagram displays under System Diagrams
in the Project Browser.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 8-9
 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS
8

Placing Blocks in a System Diagram

The Element Catalog is a database of behavioral system blocks that you can
include in your system diagrams.
To place a system block in a system diagram:
1 Click the Elem tab in the lower left of the window to display the Element
Browser. The Element Browser replaces the Project Browser window.
2 If necessary, click the + symbol to the left of the System Blocks node to
expand the system blocks tree.
3 Click the Sources category. A Real Source block (SRC_R) displays in the
lower pane.
4 Select the SRC_R block and drag it onto the system diagram, release the
button, and then click to position the element as shown in the following
figure. This serves as the DC level of the message signal.
TIP: You can view the full name of a system block before dragging it to the system
diagram by simply moving the mouse over the block or right-clicking on it and
then selecting Show Details.
5 Expand the Sources category, then click the Waveforms subgroup. Select
the SIN_R block and place it as shown in the following figure.

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 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS

TIP: Before clicking to position a block, you can rotate the block by right-
clicking on it.
6 Expand the Math Tools category, then click the Adders subgroup. Select
the ADD2 block and place it as shown in the following figure.
7 Expand the Modulation category, then click the Analog subgroup. Select
the AM_MOD block and place it as shown in the following figure.
8 Select the SIN_R block in the system diagram. Choose Edit > Copy then
Edit > Paste. Place the duplicated block as shown in the following figure.
TIP: Choose View > Zoom In to magnify the system diagram.
9 To save the file choose File > Save Project.

CONNECTING THE BLOCKS AND ADDING TEST POINTS

To connect the system blocks and add Test Points:

1 Place the cursor over the node of the SRC_R block. The cursor displays as
a wire coil symbol.
2 Click and drag the displayed wire to input node 2 of the ADD_2 block,
then click to place the wire.
3 Repeat steps 1 and 2 to complete the connections shown in the following
figure.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 8-11
 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS
8

SIN_R
ID=A4
AMPL=1
PHSOFF=0 Deg
OFFFRQ=1 GHz ADD2 AM_MOD
CTRFRQ=0 GHz ID=A2 ID=A1
PRIMINP=Auto MODIDX=1
1 3 1 3

2
2

SRC_R SIN_R
ID=A3 ID=A5
VAL=1 AMPL=1
SMPFRQ= PHSOFF=0 Deg
OFFFRQ=1 GHz
CTRFRQ=0 GHz

4 From the system block list click the Meters category. Individually select
three Test Points (TP) and place them as shown in the following figure. You
can also click the Add Test Point button on the toolbar. While placing the
test points, right-click to rotate them as needed. The simulation results can
be displayed at these test points.

SIN_ R
ID=A4
AMPL=1 TP
PHSOFF=0 Deg ID=TP2
OFFFRQ=1 GHz ADD2 AM_ MOD
CTRFRQ=0 GHz ID=A2 ID=A1
PRIMINP =Auto MODIDX =1
1 3 1 3 TP
ID=TP1

2
2

SRC_ R SIN_R
ID=A3 ID=A5
VAL=1 AMPL=1 TP
SMPFRQ= PHSOFF=0 Deg ID=TP3
OFFFRQ=1 GHz
CTRFRQ=0 GHz

TIP: You can also connect blocks by moving them to snap their nodes together.
When they are properly connected a small green square displays and the
connection wire extends if you move either block. If you do not see the green
square, try to drag one of the block into place again.

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 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS

EDITING BLOCK PARAMETERS

To edit block parameters:

1 In the system diagram, double-click the SIN_R block connected to the
ADD_2 block. The Element Option dialog box displays.
2 Click Show Secondary to display the secondary parameters. Edit the
parameters to the values shown in the following figure, then click OK .

3 Double-click the SIN_R block connected to the AM_MOD block. If the

secondary parameters are not visible, click Show Secondary. Change the
AMPL parameter to “3 ”, the OFFFRQ parameter to “41 ” and the
SMPSYM parameter to “10 ”, then click OK .
4 Double-click the SRC_R block and change the SMPSYM parameter to
“10 ”, then click OK .
5 Double-click the AM_MOD block and change the MODIDX parameter to
“2 ”, then click OK .
TIP: You can also simply double-click the parameter value displayed on the
system diagram to modify a single parameter.

Specifying System Simulator Options

To specify system simulation sampling:
1 Choose Options > Default System Options. The System Simulator Options
dialog box displays.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 8-13
 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS
8

2 Click the Simulator tab, and under Sampling Frequencies/Data Rates

select Data rate in the first drop-down text box, and Oversampling in the
second drop-down text box.
3 Type “1 ” GHz as the Data rate and “80” as the Oversampling value, then
click OK . Note the options under Sampling Frequencies/Data Rates that
define the system sampling rate. Data rate, symbol period, time step,
sampling frequency and oversampling rate are all interrelated. You can use
various pairs of these settings to specify the overall settings.

Creating a Graph to View Results

VSS allows you to see the results of your simulations in various graphical
formats. Before you perform a simulation, you must create a graph and specify
the data or measurements that you want to plot.
To create a graph:
1 Click the Proj tab in the lower left the window to display the Project
Browser.
2 Right-click Graphs and choose Add Graph. You can also click the New
Graph button on the toolbar. The Create Graph dialog box displays.

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 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS

3 Type “Amplitude Mod ” in Graph Name, select Rectangular as the Graph

Type ,and click OK . The graph displays in a window in the workspace and
displays as a subgroup of Graphs in the Project Browser.

Adding a Measurement
To add a measurement to the graph:
1 Right-click the “Amplitude Mod” graph in the Project Browser, and choose
Add Measurement. The Add Measurement dialog box displays. You can
also click the Add Measurement button on the toolbar.
2 For measurement type, select System under Meas. Type and select WVFM
under Measurement .

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 8-15
 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS
8

3 Ensure that Test Point is TP.TP1 , then click Apply. The

AM:Re(WVFM(TP.TP1,10,1,1)) measurement displays under the
“Amplitude Mod” graph in the Project Browser.

4 Select TP.TP2 in Test Point, then click Apply.

5 Select TP.TP3 in Test Point, then click OK .
TIP: You can custom name a test point by double-clicking its ID number.

Running the Simulation and Analyzing Results

To run the simulation:
1 Choose Simulate > Run/Stop System Simulators. Let the simulation run
for 5 seconds, then choose Simulate > Run/Stop System Simulators again
to stop the simulation. You can also click the Run/Stop System Simulators
button on the toolbar. The simulation response in the following graph
should display.

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 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS

2 Choose File > Save Project to save the project.

3 Choose File > Close Project to close the project.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 8-17
 SYSTEM SIMULATION IN VSS
8

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END-TO-END SYSTEM
............................
9

.....
This chapter illustrates the signal and noise power relationship in an end-to-end
communication link system. The goal of an end-to-end link analysis is to measure
how often a transmitted bit is received in error (BER). Sometimes it is preferable to
deal with symbols (a bit or group of bits encoded in a signal). In this example you
evaluate the link error rate for a basic QAM transmission. You also analyze how
often bits (BER) or symbols are received in error (SER), and the effect of signal-to-
noise (SNR) on BER and SER.
The procedures in this example include:
• Creating a QAM project and system diagram
• Creating graphs and analyzing BER and SER
• Tuning the system parameters.

CREATING A QAM PROJECT

The example you create in this chapter is available in its complete form as
“QAM.emp” in your Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting
Started\VSS\QAM directory. You can use this example file as a reference.
To create a project:
1 Choose File > New Project.
2 Choose File > Save Project As. The Save As dialog box displays.
3 Navigate to the directory in which you want to save the project, type
“QAM ” as the project name, and then click Save.
4 Choose Options > Project Options.
5 Click the Global Units tab and verify that your settings match those in the
following figure.

Getting Started Guide 9-1

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
9
Creating a QAM Project

6 Click OK to save your settings.

Creating a QAM End-to-End System Diagram

To create a QAM end-to-end system diagram:
1 Choose Project > Add System Diagram > New System Diagram. The
Create New System Diagram dialog box displays.
2 Type “QAM ” as the diagram name and click OK .
3 Click the Elem tab in the lower left of the window to display the Element
Browser.
4 Expand the Sources category, then click the Random subgroup. Select the
RND_D block and place it on the system diagram as shown in the
following figure.
5 Expand the Modulation category, then click the QAM subgroup. Select the
QAM_TX block and place it on the system diagram as shown in the
following figure.
6 Click the Channels category, then select the AWGN block and place it on
the system diagram as shown in the following figure.
7 In the Modulation category, click the General Receivers subgroup. Select
the RCVR block and place it on the system diagram as shown in the
following figure.

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 END-TO-END SYSTEM
Creating a QAM Project

8 Click the Add Test Point button on the toolbar and add a Test Point (TP)
between the QAM_TX and AWGN blocks. Add another Test Point (TP) at
the output of the RCVR block as shown in the following figure.
9 Connect the blocks and test points as shown in the following figure.

TP
ID= TP1
QAM_TX
ID= A2
M=16
OUTLVL=0 dB
OLVLTYP=Bit Energy (dB)
RND _D AW GN
SYMRATE=
ID=A1 ID =A3
CTRFRQ=0 GHz
M=2 PW R=0 dB
PLSTYP=R ectangular
RATE= PW RTYP= Au to
ALPHA=0 .35
RNG=Auto LOSS=0 dB RCVR
PLSLN=
ID= A4

1 2
R D
TP
3 ID= TP2
IQ

5 4

10 Double-click the RND_D block in the system diagram and verify that the
M parameter is 2 .
Because M = 2, RND_D is set by default to generate a digital signal that
varies between “0” and “1”. Leave all other secondary parameters at their
default settings.

11 Double-click the QAM_TX block and change the parameters as shown in

the following figure.

Getting Started Guide 9-3

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
9
Creating a QAM Project

In this dialog box you can control several parameters as well as the pulse
shaping filter used on the in-phase and quadrature-phase signals.
12 RCVR automatically adjusts its parameters to agree with the transmitter
parameters, so maintain the default settings.
13 Choose Options > Default System Options. The System Simulator Options
dialog box displays. Verify that your settings match those in the following
figure, then click OK .

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 END-TO-END SYSTEM
Creating a QAM Project

Adding Graphs and Measurements

To add graphs and specify the measurements you want to plot:
1 In the Project Browser, right-click Graphs and choose Add Graph , or click
the New Graph button on the toolbar. Type “Complexbaseband ” in Graph
Name. For Graph Type , select Rectangular and click OK .

2 Repeat step 1 to create a second graph named “Receiver Constellation” .

For Graph Type select Constellation and click OK .
3 To view all of the windows, choose Window > Tile Vertical .
4 In the Project Browser, right-click “Complexbaseband” and choose Add
Measurement. The Add Measurement dialog box displays.
5 Select System as the Meas. Type and select WVFM as the Measurement.
6 Select TP. TP1 as the Test Point, then click OK.
7 In the Project Browser, right-click “Receiver Constellation” and choose
Add Measurement .

8 Create an IQ measurement using the settings in the following figure, then

click OK .

Getting Started Guide 9-5

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
9
Creating a QAM Project

Running the Simulation and Analyzing the Results

To run the simulation and configure the results display:
1 Choose Simulate > Run/Stop System Simulators. Let the simulation run
for 3 seconds, then choose Simulate > Run/Stop System Simulators again
to stop the simulation. The simulation responses in the following graphs
should display.

Complexbaseband Receiver Constellation

10
2.5
Re(WVFM(TP.TP1,10,1,1))
QAM
IQ(TP.TP2,50,1,0)
5 QAM
1.5

0.5

-5

-0.5
-10
102056 102061 102066 102071 102076 102081 102086 102091 102096
Time (ns)
-1.5

-2.5
-2.5 -1.5 -0.5 0.5 1.5 2.5

The received constellation does not appear as expected because the power
spectral density of the noise source is set to 0 dB. Note that the time
waveform of the complex baseband signal does not show eight samples per
symbol as specified in the System Simulator Options dialog box.
2 Select the Complexbaseband graph window and click the Properties button
on the toolbar. The Rectangular Plot Properties dialog box displays.
3 Click the Traces tab.
4 Using the drop-down symbol and line selectors, specify a triangle as the
symbol and a solid line as the line style, as shown in the following figure.
(The lines will display on the Complexbaseband waveform).

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 END-TO-END SYSTEM
Creating a QAM Project

Auto Interval

Interval

Line selector
Symbol selector

5 Under Symbol , clear the Auto interval check box, change the Interval value
to 1 and click OK .
6 On the system diagram, double-click the AWGN block and change the
PWR parameter to “-30 ” dB, then click OK .
7 Start the simulation, let it run for about 10 seconds, and then stop the
simulation.
Notice how the scatter plot changes. The simulation responses in the
following graphs should display. On the Complexbaseband graph the
triangular symbols display on the waveform. There are now eight samples
per symbol. You can choose Options > Default System Options to return
to the System Simulator Options dialog box and change the values under
Sampling Frequencies/Data Rates to observe the different results.

Getting Started Guide 9-7

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
9
Tuning System Parameters

Complexbaseband
10 Receiver Constellation
1
Re(WVFM(TP.TP1,10,1,1)) IQ(TP.TP2,50,1,0)
QAM QAM
5

0.5

0
-5

-10 -0.5
276456 276461 276466 276471 276476 276481 276486 276491 276496
Time (ns)

-1
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1

Note that your graphs may not look identical to these examples due to printed
size limitations.
TIP: Click the Properties button on the toolbar to edit the appearance of any graph,
or right-click in the graph to zoom in and zoom out.
8 Choose File > Save Project to save your project.

TUNING SYSTEM PARAMETERS

Visual System Simulator (VSS) architecture uses object-oriented techniques to
enable fast and efficient simulations. A real-time tuner allows you to see the
results of simulations as you tune parameters.
To tune a system parameter:
1 Click the system diagram window to make it active.
2 Click the Tune Tool button on the toolbar.
3 Position the cursor over the PWR parameter value of the AWGN block.
The cursor displays as a small cross on a black background.
4 Click to activate the PWR parameter for tuning. The parameter value
displays in blue. To disengage the Tune Tool, click anywhere in the design
area.

9-8 MWO/VSS 2003

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
Creating a BER and SER Simulation

5 To start the simulation, click the Run/Stop System Simulators button on

the toolbar, then click the Tune button on the toolbar.
The Variable Tuner dialog box displays.

Max value

Min value

6 To observe the impact of the noise level, set the Max and Min values to “0 ”
and “-50 ” respectively. Click the tuning bar and slide it to adjust the values
while observing the results on the constellation graph.
7 Click the “x” at the upper right of the Variable Tuner dialog box to close it.
8 Stop the simulation by clicking the Run/Stop System Simulators button on
the toolbar.
9 To de-tune the PWR parameter of the AWGN block, click the Tune Tool
button on the toolbar and then click the PWR parameter value again. The
parameter value displays in black. To disengage the Tune Tool, click
anywhere in the design area.
10 Double-click the PWR parameter and change the value to 0.

CREATING A BER AND SER SIMULATION

System engineers often want to perform Bit Error Rate (BER) simulation. For
some modulation schemes, it is easier to analytically calculate Symbol Error Rate
(SER) than BER. This example shows how to generate both BER and SER. To
generate a BER curve, a method of varying the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) must
be available. For this purpose, a stepped variable “Eb_No” is established to
sweep out a range of values from -6 to 6, in increments of 1. The stepped
variable is used as the value for the transmitter output power parameter, thus
raising the signal level as the variable is stepped. In this case, the AWGN power

Getting Started Guide 9-9

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
9
Creating a BER and SER Simulation

parameter is set to 0 db and the simulation is set up to increase the transmitter

power.
To create a BER simulation:
1 Click the system diagram window to make it active.
2 Choose Draw > Add Equation and move the cursor into the system diagram
window. An edit box displays.
3 Position the edit box at the top of the system diagram and click to place it.
4 Type “Eb_NO = sweep (stepped(-6, 6, 1)) ” (without the quotes) in the edit
box, and then click outside of the box.
5 Double-click the QAM_TX block and verify that the OUTLVL parameter
is Eb_NO, and the OLVLTYP parameter is Bit Energy (dB) , then click OK.
6 In the Element Browser under System Blocks, expand the Meters category
and click the BER subgroup. Select the BER block (internal reference
source) and place it to the right of the RCVR block in the system diagram.
7 Connect the BER block to the “D” node of the RCVR block.
8 Double-click the BER block. Click Show Secondary to view the secondary
parameters. Edit the parameters to the values shown in the following figure,
then click OK.

The BER block is now set to test 1e7 (MXTRL * TBLKSZ) bits. It registers 25
errors before a BER computation is generated for each value of Eb_NO. The

9-10 MWO/VSS 2003

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
Creating a BER and SER Simulation

BER block internally generates the original data source and compares the
received bits to the transmitted bits. The last point on the BER curve (the 8th
value of Eb_NO) takes the longest to plot.
9 To add a BER plot to the project, add a rectangular graph named “BER ”.
10 In the Project Browser, right-click “BER” and choose Add Measurement.
11 Create a BER measurement using the settings in the following figure, then
click Apply to save the measurement.

12 To verify the obtained results with the theoretical results, add another
measurement to the BER graph using the settings in the following figure,
then click OK .

Getting Started Guide 9-11

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
9
Creating a BER and SER Simulation

13 Verify that the PWR parameter value of the AWGN block is 0dB.
14 Select the BER graph window, then click the Properties button on the
toolbar.
15 Click the Axes tab and set Left1 to Log scale by selecting Left1 under
Choose Axis and selecting the Log Scale check box, then click OK .

16 Click the Run/Stop System Simulators button on the toolbar to start the
simulation. As the simulation runs, the BER curve is generated. Note that
the size of the received constellation becomes clearer as the power is
increased or, as Eb_NO is swept from -6 dB to 6 dB.

9-12 MWO/VSS 2003

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
Creating a BER and SER Simulation

The simulation stops when 25 errors are counted at Eb_NO = 6dB. The
simulation response in the following graph should display..

BER
1
BER(BER.BER1,0,0)
QAM
QAM_BERREF(BER.BER1,0,0)
QAM

.1

.01
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

In this example the signal power was swept to plot the BER. You can sweep
the noise power, keeping the signal power constant. Change the PWR
parameter of the AWGN block to -Eb_NO and the OUTLVL parameter of
the QAM_TX block to 0 to get the same BER curve achieved here.
17 Choose File > Save Project .
18 Similar to the BER version, you can create a SER vs Eb/N0 graph. In the
Project Browser, click “QAM” under System Diagrams. Drag and drop the
QAM icon onto the System Diagrams node. A “Copy of QAM” system
diagram is created under System Diagrams.
19 Click the “Copy of QAM” window to make it active, then delete the BER
block.
20 In the Element Browser, expand the Meters category, then click the BER
subgroup. Select the SER block, drag it to the “Copy of QAM” system
diagram, and connect it to the “D” node of the RCVR block.
21 Add a rectangular graph named “SER ” to the project.
22 Add a measurement to the “SER” graph using the settings in the following
figure.

Getting Started Guide 9-13

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
9
Creating a BER and SER Simulation

23 Add another measurement to the “SER” graph using the settings in the
following figure.

24 Select the “SER” graph window, then click the Properties button on the
toolbar.
25 Click the Axes tab and set Left1 to Log scale by selecting Left1 under
Choose Axis and selecting the Log Scale check box, then click OK .

9-14 MWO/VSS 2003

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
Creating a BER and SER Simulation

26 Click the Run/Stop System Simulators button on the toolbar to start the
simulation. As the simulation runs, the SER curve is generated. The
simulation response in the following graph should display.

SER
1

BER(SER.SER1,0,0)
.1
Copy of QAM
QAM_BERREF(SER.SER1,0,0)
Copy of QAM

.01
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

You can also plot BER and SER against Es/N0 by specifying Es/N0 as the
SWPTYP parameter in BER and SER blocks.

Converting BER Curve Results to a Table

To convert the results of the BER curve to a table:
1 In the Project Browser select the “BER” graph, right-click and choose
Duplicate as > Table.A new table (graph) named “Copy of BER” displays
under Graphs.

Getting Started Guide 9-15

 END-TO-END SYSTEM
9
Creating a BER and SER Simulation

2 To change the numerical precision of the table, select the “Copy of BER”,
graph window and click the Properties button on the toolbar. Make any
desired changes in the Tabular Graph Format dialog box, then click OK .
3 Choose File > Save Project .

9-16 MWO/VSS 2003

ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM
...................................
10

.....
The circuit simulation capabilities of Microwave Office (MWO) and Visual
System Simulator (VSS) provide a unique environment in which to measure the
impact of RF components on system performance. Measurements you can
make include, for example, the impact of phase noise on BER, spectral
regrowth due to the non-linearities of an amplifier, and the impact of filter
characteristics on BER.
This exercise presents features of the VSS environment and demonstrates its
integration with the MWO circuit simulation environment. You add an actual
MWO filter circuit to the QAM system that you built in the previous example,
and then you measure the impact of the filter on BER performance as you
change filter parameters.
The procedures in this example include:
• Importing an MWO ideal filter circuit to the system project
• Approximating the filter response before including it in the simulation
• Changing filter parameters and monitoring the impact on BER
performance
• Creating a power spectral density plot.

ADDING AN MWO FILTER CIRCUIT TO THE SYSTEM

In this example you import an MWO ideal filter schematic into your existing
QAM project. Although there are also ideal filter blocks available in VSS, the
purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate how you can implement an MWO
structure in VSS. The complete example is available as “QAM+Filter.emp” in
your Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\QAM
directory. You can use this example file as a reference.
1 Open your QAM project if it is not already open. (Choose File > Open
Project and select the directory in which you saved “QAM.emp”). If you
did not build this project, you can get the project file from the Program
Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\GettingStarted\VSS\QAM directory.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 10-1
 ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM
10
Adding an MWO Filter Circuit to the System

2 In the Project Browser, right-click Circuit Schematics and choose Import

Schematic. Select the “Ideal filter.sch” schematic from the Program
Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\QAM directory.
The following filter schematic displays.

C0=0.8478
C1=1.445
C2=0.1876
C3=2.836
C4=0.1343
C5=3.144
C6=0.1489
C7=2.251
C8=0.2921
C9=0.4979
L0=1.245
L1=0.7304
L2=5.627
L3=0.3721
L4=7.86
L5=0.3357
L6=7.09
L7=0.4689
L8=3.613
L9=2.12

SRLC SRLC SRLC SRLC SRLC

ID=RLC6 ID=RLC7 ID=RLC8 ID=RLC9 ID=RLC10
PORT R=3.832e-11 Ohm R=1.732e-10 Ohm R=2.419e-10 Ohm R=2.183e-10 Ohm R=1.112e-10 Ohm
P=1 L=L0 nH L=L2 nH L=L4 nH L=L6 nH L=L8 nH
Z=50 Ohm C=C0 pF C=C2 pF C=C4 pF C=C6 pF C=C8 pF
PORT
P=2
Z=50 Ohm
PRLC PRLC PRLC PRLC
ID=RLC1 ID=RLC2 ID=RLC3 ID=RLC4 PRLC
R=2.248e13 Ohm R=1.145e13 Ohm R=1.033e13 Ohm R=1.443e13 Ohm ID=RLC5
L=L1 nH L=L3 nH L=L5 nH L=L7 nH R=6.524e13 Ohm
C=C1 pF C=C3 pF C=C5 pF C=C7 pF L=L9 nH
C=C9 pF

Filtering Issues in VSS

You should verify the filter response before including the filter in the system
simulation. You will use a separate system diagram to connect the filter to a
VNA_SS block and plot the frequency magnitude and phase response on a
graph to check the frequency response of the filter before including it in a
simulation chain.
To verify the filter response:
1 Choose Options > Project Options and click the Frequencies tab to set the
project frequency.
2 Specify the Start, Stop and Step values shown in the following figure, click
Apply to display the values in Current Range, and then click OK .

10-2 MWO/VSS 2003

 ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM
Adding an MWO Filter Circuit to the System

3 Right-click System Diagrams and choose New System Diagram to add a

diagram named “Filter Test ”.
4 Click the “Filter Test” window in the workspace to make it active.
5 In the Element Browser, expand the Filters category, then click the
Bandpass subgroup. Select the BPFB block and place it on the system
diagram as shown in the following figure.
6 Expand the RF Blocks category, then click the Simulation Based subgroup.
Select the LIN_S block and place it on the system diagram as shown in the
following figure.
7 Expand the Meters category, then click the Network Analyzers subgroup.
Select the VNA_SS block, place it on the system diagram, and connect it
across the BPFB block as shown in the following figure.
8 Repeat step 7 to connect a VNA_SS block across the LIN_S block as
shown in the following figure.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 10-3
 ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM
10
Adding an MWO Filter Circuit to the System

VN A_SS VN A_SS
ID=M1 ID=M2
FSTAR T=0 GHz FSTAR T=0 GHz
FSTOP=10 GHz FSTOP=10 GHz

SRC MEAS SRC MEAS

BPFB
ID =F1
N=10
FP1=4 GHz LIN_S
FP2=6 GHz ID=S1
AP=3.01 dB N ET="Ideal fi lter"

9 In the BPFB block, set the N parameter to “10 ”, the FP1 parameter to “4 ”
GHz, and the FP2 parameter to “6 ” GHz.
10 In both of the VNA_SS blocks set the FSTOP parameter to “10 ” GHz.
11 In the LIN_S block set the parameters as shown in the following figure.

12 Create a rectangular graph named “Filter Response 1 ” and add a

measurement to the graph using the settings in the following figure.

10-4 MWO/VSS 2003

 ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM
Adding an MWO Filter Circuit to the System

13 Add another measurement as in step 12, except select Angle as the

Complex Modifier.

14 Run the System Simulator. The simulation response in the following graph
should display after making some axes changes: Double-click the legend in
the graph. In the Rectangular Plot Properties dialog box, click the
Measurements tab. Under Select measurement to edit: select Filter
Test:DB(Ang(S21_SS(VNA_SS.M1))) and under Choose axis: select Right
1 . Click Apply, then OK .

Filter Response 1
0 10000

-200 -5000

-400 -20000
DB(|S21_SS(VNA_SS.M1)|) (L)
Filter Test

-600 DB(Ang(S21_SS(VNA_SS.M1))) (R, Deg) -35000

Filter Test

-800 -50000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Frequency (GHz)

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 10-5
 ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM
10
Adding an MWO Filter Circuit to the System

15 Add another rectangular graph named “Ideal Filter Response ” and add the
following measurement to the graph.

16 Add another measurement to the same graph using the settings in the
following figure, then click OK .

17 Run both the Harmonic Balance simulator and System simulator. The
simulation response in the following graph should display.

10-6 MWO/VSS 2003

 ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM
Adding an MWO Filter Circuit to the System

Ideal Filter Response

0

-100

-200
DB(|S(2,1)|)
Ideal filter

-300 DB(|S21_SS(VNA_SS.M2)|)
Filter Test

-400
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Frequency (GHz)

18 In the “Filter Test” diagram, change the LIN_S block NTAP parameter to
1024 and run the simulation. Notice the change in the graph. The response
from LIN_S follows the actual graph of the given filter.

Simulating the QAM System

To simulate the QAM system:
1 On the “QAM” system diagram, double-click the QAM_TX block
CTRFRQ parameter and set the value to “5” GHz.
2 In the Element Browser, expand the RF Blocks category, then click the
Simulation Based subgroup. Select the LIN_S block and place it on the
system diagram between the AWGN and RCVR blocks. Connect the
blocks, moving them as necessary.
3 Change the LIN_S block NET parameter to “Ideal Filter” (including
quotes) as shown in the following figure, then click OK .

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 10-7
 ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM
10
Adding an MWO Filter Circuit to the System

4 Add a test point at the output of the LIN_S block as shown in the following
figure.

TP
QAM_TX
ID=TP3 BER
ID=A2
ID=BER1
M=16 TP
SWPVAR=
OUTLVL=Eb_N0 dB ID=TP1
SWPTYP=Auto
OLVLTYP=Bit Energy (dB)
RND_D AWGN OUTFL=""
SYMRATE=
ID=A1 ID=A3 MNERR=25
CTRFRQ=5 GHz
M=2 PWR=0 dB
PLSTYP=Rectangular LIN_S
RATE=1/_TFRAME PWRTYP=Auto
ALPHA=0.35 ID=S1
RNG=Auto LOSS=0 dB RCVR
PLSLN= NET="Ideal filter" BER
ID=A4

1 2
R D
TP
3 ID=TP2
IQ

5 4

Adding a Graph and Analyzing the Results

You now add a graph and two measurements to create an overlay to view the
power spectral density for the QAM system before and after the addition of the
bandpass filter.
To add a graph and measurements:
1 Add a rectangular graph named “Power Spectrum ”.
2 Add a PWR_SPEC measurement using the settings in the following figure,
then click Apply.

10-8 MWO/VSS 2003

 ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM
Adding an MWO Filter Circuit to the System

Specifying “TP.TP3 ” for Test Point places the measurement after the
LIN_S block.
3 Add another PWR_SPEC measurement with the same settings, but choose
TP.TP1(the test point prior to the AWGN block) for Test Point , then click
OK .

4 Run the simulation. Note that the BER performance has degraded. The
simulation response in the following graph should display.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 10-9
 ADDING AN MWO SUBCIRCUIT TO A SYSTEM
10
Adding an MWO Filter Circuit to the System

Power Spectrum
30

DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP3,256,1,10,1,-1,0,-1,1,1,0)) (dBm)
QAM
DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP1,256,1,10,1,-1,0,-1,1,1,0)) (dBm)
QAM
-30
4 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.8 5 5.2 5.4 5.6 5.8 6
Frequency (GHz)

5 Save the project as “QAM+Filter ”.

Experimenting with Filters

Try varying the filter parameters using the Variable Tuner to observe the impact
on the system BER performance. Remember to restore the filter parameters to
their current values for the next exercise, however.
Note that as you change the filter parameters, you can improve or severely
degrade the system’s BER performance. You may also want to experiment with
other filters. In the next example you will discover that the primary reason for
the degradation in BER performance is the impact of the filter’s phase response.
You can verify this by creating a graph that is an overlay of the PWR_SPEC of
the filter output with that of a MWO linear measurement named “Accumulation
of Linear Deviation”.

10-10 M W O / V S S 2 0 0 3
USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
............................
11

.....
This chapter demonstrates how to use the Microwave Office (MWO) Harmonic
Balance nonlinear simulator with a Visual System Simulator (VSS) simulation. In
this example you simulate an amplifier model and then measure the impact of
the amplifier on the overall system. You observe the resulting power spectrum,
the constellation graph, eye diagram, and the group delay. You also overlay a
gain plot of the filter response with power spectral density of the transmitted
signal, and analyze the simulation results.
The procedures in this example include:
• Importing an MWO amplifier model into a system project
• Compensating for phase shift
• Working with the VSS Vector Signal Analyzer block
• Creating plots for eye diagrams, filter response, and group delay

IMPORTING AN AMPLIFIER MODEL INTO VSS

In this example you add an amplifier model to the QAM system built in the
previous chapter. The complete example is available as
“QAM+Filter+Amp.emp” in your Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\
Examples\Getting Started\VSS\QAM directory. You can use this example file
as a reference.
To import an amplifier:
1 Open the “QAM+ Filter.emp” project you saved in the previous chapter if
not already open. If you did not build this project, you can get the project
file from the Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\GettingStarted\
VSS\QAM directory.
2 In the Project Browser, right-click Circuit Schematics and choose Import
Schematic. Select the “amplifier.sch” schematic from the Program
Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\QAM directory.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 11-1
 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
11
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

The following amplifier schematic displays in the project.

3 Verify that the NL_AMP parameters are set to the following values, then
click OK .

4 In the QAM system diagram, separate the QAM_TX block and the TP1
test point and disconnect the wire between them.

11-2 MWO/VSS 2003

 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

5 In the System Blocks list, expand the RF Blocks category, then click the
Simulation Based subgroup. Select the NL_S block and place it between
the QAM_TX and AWGN blocks as shown in the following figure.
6 Connect the NL_S block to the QAM_TX and AWGN blocks.
7 Double-click the NL_S block and set its NET parameter to “amplifier ” to
reference the amplifier schematic (include the quotes), then click OK .

QAM_TX TP
ID=A2 ID=TP3 BER
M=16 TP ID=BER1
OUTLVL=Eb_N0 dB ID=TP1 SWPVAR=
OLVLTYP=Bit Ener gy (dB) SWPTYP=Auto
RND_D SYMRATE= AWGN OUTFL=""
ID=A1 CTRFRQ=5 GHz NL_S ID=A3 MNERR=25
M=2 PLSTYP=Rectangular ID=S2 PWR=0 dB LIN_S
RATE=1/_TFRAME ALPHA=0.35 NET="amplifier" PWRTYP=Auto ID=S1
RNG=Auto PLSLN= NOISE=Off LOSS=0 dB NET="Ideal filter" RCVR BER
ID=A4

1 R D 2
TP
3 ID=TP2
IQ

5 4

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 11-3
 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
11
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

Compensating for Phase Shift

The amplifier introduces a 180-degree phase shift on the data. To compensate
for this shift, you place the PHASE block just after the NL_S block.
To compensate for phase shift:
1 In the System Blocks list, click the Signal Processing category, then select
the PHASE block and place it as shown in the following figure.

TP
QAM_TX
ID=TP3 BER
ID=A2
ID=BER1
M=16 TP
SWPVAR=
OUTLVL=Eb_N0 dB ID=TP1
SWPTYP=Auto
OLVLTYP=Bit Energy (dB)
RND_D AWGN OUTFL=""
SYMRATE=
ID=A1 ID=A3 MNERR=25
CTRFRQ=5 GHz NL_S
M=2 PWR=0 dB
PLSTYP=Rectangular ID=S2 PHASE LIN_S
RATE=1/_TFRAME PWRTYP=Auto
ALPHA=0.35 NET="amplifier" ID=A5 ID=S1
RNG=Auto LOSS=0 dB RCVR
PLSLN= NOISE=Off SHFT=180 Deg NET="Ideal filter" BER
ID=A4

1 2
R D
TP
3 ID=TP2
IQ

5 4

2 Set the PHASE block SHFT parameter to “180 ” Deg.

3 Save the project as “QAM+Filter+Amp ”.
4 Start and then stop the system simulation. Note on the BER graph that the
BER has improved relative to the simulation you performed with only the
bandpass filter in the previous exercise.
5 To verify the improvement, you can disable and bypass the amplifier and
phase shift. To disable the NL_S and PHASE blocks, select each block,
right-click and choose Toggle Enable. The disabled blocks turn gray.
6 Connect the QAM_TX and AWGN blocks as shown in the following
figure.

TP
QAM_TX
ID=TP3
ID=A2
M=16 TP
OUTLVL=Eb_N0 dB ID= TP1
OLVLTYP=Bit Energy (dB)
R ND_D AWGN
SYMR ATE=
ID =A1 ID =A3
CTRFRQ=5 GHz NL_S
M= 2 PWR =0 dB
PLSTYP= Rect angular ID= S2 PHASE LIN_S
R ATE=1/_TFRAME PWR TYP= Auto
ALPHA=0.35 NET="amplifier" ID=A5 ID=S1
R NG= Auto LOSS= 0 dB RC
PLSLN= NOISE=Of f SHFT=180 Deg NET="Ideal f ilter"
ID=

1
R

11-4 MWO/VSS 2003

 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

7 Run the simulation and note the BER values.

8 Disconnect the wire between the QAM_TX and AWGN blocks by
selecting the wire and pressing Delete.
9 Enable the NL_S and PHASE blocks by selecting each block and then
right-clicking and choosing Toggle Enable.
10 Start the simulation.

Using the Vector Signal Analyzer Block

Next you use the Vector Signal Analyzer block to plot the instantaneous output
power of the QAM transmitter relative to the AM/AM characteristics of the
amplifier.
To use the VSA block to plot output power:
1 In the System Blocks list expand the Meters category, then click the
Network Analyzers subgroup. Select the VSA block and place it above the
NL_S block in the QAM system diagram.
2 Connect the two ports of the VSA block to either side of the NL_S block as
shown in the following figure.

VSA
ID =M1

SRC MEAS
QAM_ TX TP
ID=TP3
ID =A2
M=16 TP
OUTL VL=Eb _N0 dB ID =TP1
OLVL TYP=Bi t E ne rgy ( dB)
R N D_ D A WGN
ID =A1 SYMR ATE= ID =A3
CTR FRQ=5 GH z N L_ S
M =2 PLS TYP=Re cta ng ul ar ID =S 2 PH ASE P WR =0 dB L IN_ S
R ATE=1 /_TFR AME ALP HA =0 .35 N ET="a mpl ifi er" ID =A5 P WR TYP=Au to ID =S1
R N G=A uto LOSS=0 dB
PLS LN = N OISE=Off SH FT=1 80 Deg N ET="Id ea l fil ter"

1 R

3 Save the project.

4 Add a rectangular graph named “AMtoAM.”
5 Add a measurement to the graph using the following settings, then click
Apply.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 11-5
 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
11
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

6 Add another measurement to the graph using the following settings, then
click OK.

11-6 MWO/VSS 2003

 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

7 In the Project Browser, right-click the “amplifier” schematic and choose

Options to display the Options dialog box.
8 Click the Frequencies tab and set the options as shown in the following
figure, then click OK .

Deselect this

Set to 5GHz Select Single point

9 Start the harmonic balance simulation by clicking the Analyze button on

the toolbar. This updates the AMtoAM graph with harmonic balance
results.
10 For best graph appearance, select the AMtoAM graph window, click the
Properties button on the toolbar, click the Traces tab, and change the
symbol from a triangle to none.
11 Start the system simulation by clicking the Run/Stop System Simulators
button on the toolbar. As the simulation runs, a marker moves along the
plot that resulted from the harmonic balance simulation. The marker moves
because you are sweeping the Eb_NO variable. The marker indicates the
operating point of the system relative to the 1dB compression point of the
amplifier. As you decrease the value of the 1dB compression point, the
operating point of this system moves into the nonlinear region of the
amplifier.
The simulation response in the following graph should display.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 11-7
 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
11
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

AMtoAM(PORT_2)[1,X] (dBm)
amplifier
DB(AMtoAM_PS(VSA.M1,1,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,1000,0,10,0)) (dBm)
QAM
AMtoAM
50

40

30

20

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Power (dBm)

For information on the LIN_S, NL_S and VSA blocks, see the Visual System
Simulator System Block Catalog.
Note that these examples use ideal behavioral models for the filter and
amplifier. You can also use actual circuit models for the filter and amplifier.

Analyzing Filter Response and Group Delay

You need at least two sweep points to make a group delay measurement.
To analyze the filter response and group delay:
1 In the Project Browser, right-click the “Ideal Filter” schematic and choose
Option . Set the parameters as shown in the following figure to set the sweep
frequency for the filter.

11-8 MWO/VSS 2003

 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

2 Click Apply, then click OK .

3 Add a group delay measurement to the “Ideal Filter Response” graph using
the following settings, then click OK.

4 Select the “Ideal Filter Response” graph window and click the Properties
button on the toolbar.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 11-9
 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
11
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

5 Click the Measurements tab and under Select Measurement to edit , select
Ideal Filter: GD(2,1) ,
then under Choose axis, select Right 1 and then click
OK .

6 Click the Analyze and Run/Stop System Simulators buttons on the toolbar.
The simulation response in the following graph should display.

Ideal Filter Response

0 1

-200 0

-400 GD(2,1) (R, ns) -1

Ideal filter
DB(|S21_SS(VNA_SS.M2)|) (L)
-600 Filter Test -2
DB(|S(2,1)|) (L)
Ideal filter
-800 -3
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10
Frequency (GHz)

Creating Eye Diagrams

The benefits of eye diagrams is increasingly recognized in most communications
system standards. In digital communications, the eye diagram is used to visualize
how the waveforms used for sending multiple bits of data can potentially lead to
errors in the interpretation of those bits. This problem ia known as intersymbol
interference (ISI), and certain pulse shapes are used specifically to alleviate the
problem. One simple example of this is the "raised cosine" pulse shape. Here
you display the eye diagram for the root raised cosine pulse shape at the
transmitter output and at the amplifier output, and compare them.
To compare the eye diagram for the root raised cosine pulse shape at the
transmitter and amplifier outputs:
1 In the QAM system diagram, add a fourth test point between the
QAM_TX and NL_S blocks.
2 Change the QAM_TX block PLSTYP parameter to “Raised Cosine ”.

11-10 MWO/VSS 2003

 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

3 Add a rectangular graph named “Eye Diagram at Transmitter ”.

4 Add a measurement to the graph using the following settings, then click
OK.

5 Add another rectangular graph named “Eye Diagram at Amp Output ”.

6 Add a measurement to the graph using the following settings, then click
OK.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 11-11
 USING AN MWO NONLINEAR ELEMENT IN VSS
11
Importing an Amplifier Model into VSS

7 Run the simulation for 5 seconds and stop.

8 Set the graph properties to display the X-axis from 0 to 8 ns.
The simulation response in the following graphs should display.

Re(EYE(TP.TP4,10,1,80,0))
Eye Diagram at Amp Output Re(EYE(TP.TP1,10,1,80,0))
Eye Diagram at Transmitter
30 QAM 40 QAM

20
20
10

0 0

-10
-20
-20

-30 -40
0 2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8
Time (ns) Time (ns)

9 Choose File > Save Project .

10 Choose File > Close Project .

11-12 MWO/VSS 2003

VSS EXAMPLES
...................................
12

.....
This chapter includes additional useful examples such as FSK, Phase Noise and
I/Q Imbalance, End-to-End QAM system, and mixer modeling. It also includes
steps for displaying measurements such as IRR, ACPR, EVM, and others.

FSK EXAMPLE
In this example you build and simulate a complete transmitter-channel-receiver
chain for a Binary Frequency Shift Keying (BFSK) transmission. The example
shows how to generate a frequency shift keying (FSK) source using elementary
blocks or a “black box” FSK modulator (called FSK_SRC) in VSS. It is not
always necessary to construct a receiver and transmitter using elementary
blocks. For many common modulation methods, corresponding black boxes
already exist in VSS. This exercise, however, is intended to show that using the
black box or creating one using the elementary blocks produces identical results.
You will also construct an FSK demodulator using basic blocks, and verify the
performance of the system by setting different parameters. For more
information and application notes on FSK modulation please visit our website
at http://www.mwoffice.com/.
The procedures in this example include:
• Verifying the BFSK waveform generated using different methods
• Channel and noise scaling and system performance
• Monitoring the BER and sweep statistics in a text window.

Using a “Black Box” FSK Modulator

In this section you create a project and BFSK system diagram, then use the FSK
modulator (FSK_SRC) and plot the power spectrum of the modulated signal.
The complete example is available as “bfsk.emp” in your Program
Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\BFSK directory.
To generate an FSK source using a “black box” FSK modulator:
1 Create a project named “bfsk ”.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-1
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

2 Add a system diagram named “BFSK ” to the project.

3 In the Project Options dialog box, set the frequency Start to “1 ” GHz, the
Stop to “2 ” GHz, and specify Step as “1 ” GHz.
4 In the Element Browser System Blocks list, expand the Modulation
category, then click the FSK subgroup. Select the FSK_SRC block and
place it on the system diagram. Verify that its parameters are set to the
following values, then click OK .

5 Add and connect a test point as shown in the following figure.

F S K _ S RC
ID = A 8
M O D = 2 -F S K
O U T LV L = 0 d B
O LV L T YP = B it E n e rg y ( dB )
R A TE = 1 0 0 0
C TR FR Q =1 G H z
M O D ID X = 0.7 0 7
P L S T YP = R e cta n g u la r TP
A L P H A = 0 .35 ID = TP 1
L=
PLSLN =

12-2 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

6 Add a rectangular graph named “Spectrum ”.

7 Add a measurement to the graph using the settings in the following figure,
then click OK.

8 Run the simulation. The power spectrum of the FSK signal generated by
the block displays as shown in the following graph.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-3
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP1,512,1,10,1,-1,0,-1,0,1,0)) (dBm)
BFSK
Spectrum
20

-20

-40

-60
0.999996 0.999998 1 1.000002 1.000004
Frequency (GHz)

Creating An FSK Modulator Using Elementary Blocks

In this section you create a BFSK modulator using elementary blocks, then
compare the results with those of the previous method. These two distinct
transmitters are behaviorally identical.
1 In the Element Browser, expand the Sources category, then click the
Random subgroup. Select the RND_D block and place it on the system
diagram as shown in the following figure.
2 Double-click the RND_D block and set the RATE parameter to “1000 ”
and the RSEED parameter to “{0} ” (with the brackets).
3 Expand the Converters category, then click the Analog-Digital subgroup.
Select the DAC block and place it on the system diagram as shown in the
following figure.
4 Expand the Modulation category, then click the Analog subgroup. Select
the FM_MOD block and place it on the system diagram as shown in the
following figure.
5 Set the FM_MOD block KF parameter to “0.707/2*1000 ”.
6 Expand the Sources category, then click the Waveforms subgroup. Select
the SIN_C block and place it on the system as shown in the following
figure.
7 Set the SIN_C block AMPL parameter to “5 ”.
8 Add a second test point to the system as shown in the following figure.

12-4 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

FS K_ SR C
I D =A 8
M O D= 2 - F S K
O U T LV L= 0 d B
O LV LT Y P = B it E ne r gy (d B )
R A T E = 1 00 0
CTRFRQ =1 G Hz
M O DI D X = 0 .7 07
P LS T Y P = R ec t an g ula r TP
A LP H A = 0 .3 5 ID = T P 1
L=
P LS LN =

RN D _ D TP
ID = A 1 I D =T P 2
M= 2 D AC F M_ M O D
RA T E =1 0 00 ID = A 2 I D = A3
K F = 0. 70 7 /2* 10 00
D A 1 3

S IN _ C
I D = A4
A M PL = 5
P H S O F F = 0 D eg
O FFFRQ=0 G Hz
CTRFRQ =1 GHz

9 Add a power spectrum (PWR_SPEC) measurement at test point TP2 to the

“Spectrum” graph.
10 Run the simulation. Note that there is no change in the graph since the
waveform from the cascade of these blocks is identical to the waveform of
the FSK_SRC block, hence the overlap.
TIP: To view the spectrum of each setup separately, you can display them in
separate graphs or toggle the measurements one at a time under Graphs in
the Project Browser (right-click and choose Toggle Enable ). You can also
simply toggle the test points one at a time by double-clicking the test point
and clearing the Enable element check box in the Element Options dialog
box. These steps confirm that the two methods for setting up the
transmitter create identical BFSK waveforms.
11 Add a third test point between the RND_D block and the DAC block.
To observe the behavior of the transmitted phase:
12 Add a rectangular graph named “TX Waveforms ”.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-5
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

13 Add a random data waveform measurement to the graph using the settings
in the following figure, then click Apply.

14 Add a measurement to the graph for the phase produced by the FSK
modulator using the settings in step 13, but select TP.TP2 as the Test Point
and Angle as the Complex Modifier, then click OK .
15 Select the “TX Waveforms” graph and click the Properties button on the
toolbar.
16 Click the Axes tab and select Left 1. Clear the Auto limits check box and
enter “-1 ” as the Min and “2 ” as the Max . Under Divisions, clear the Auto
divs. check box and enter “1 ” as the Step.

17 Select Right 1 . Clear the Auto limits check box and enter “-200 ” as the Min
and “200 ” as the Max , then click Apply.
18 Click the Measurements tab and under Select Measurement to edit , select
BFSK:Ang(WVFM(TP.TP2,20,4,1)] , then under Choose axis, select Right 1
and click Apply.
19 Click the Traces tab and under Style, select measurement 1, then under
Weight select a heavier line from the corresponding drop-down box at the
bottom of the dialog box. Select measurement 2, then select a square as the
Symbol style from the corresponding drop-down box at the bottom of the
dialog box.

12-6 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

20 Run the simulation. Observe that the transmitted phase behaves exactly as
expected in a binary FSK transmission scheme with rectangular frequency
shaping pulse.
Your simulation response should look similar to the following graph, which
shows that the phase of the modulated waveform increases in a ramp when
the input bit is “1”, and decreases in a ramp with the same slope when the
input bit is “0”. The phase remains continuous between different bit
intervals, and the phase jumps in the plot are only the effect of the wrap-
around when the phase exceeds ± π . The data waveform (binary 1’s and 0’s)
is plotted on the left axis while the phase waveform is shown on the right
axis.

Re(WVFM(TP.TP3,20,4,1)) (L)
BFSK
TX Waveforms
2 Ang(WVFM(TP.TP2,20,4,1)) (R, Deg) 200
BFSK

1 66.7

0 -66.7

-1 -200
12679000000 12684000000 12689000000 12694000000 12699000000
Time (ns)

Receiver and Demodulation

In this section you complete the channel-receiver chain for BFSK. The receiver
is built from elementary VSS blocks for demonstration purposes and is shown
to outperform even the coherent BFSK demodulator. The modulated signal out
of the transmitter is passed through an AWGN channel and then demodulated
by a discriminator receiver, consisting of a filter (PLSSHP), an FM discriminator
(FM_DSCRM), an integrate-and-dump block (INTG_DMP), and an ADC
block. In this exercise you also scale the channel and noise parameters and
analyze the system performance.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-7
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

To complete the channel-receiver chain for BFSK (using the following figure as
a reference):
1 In the Element Browser, click the Channels category. Select the AWGN
block and place it on the system diagram.
2 Click the Filters category, then select the PLSSHP block and place it on the
system diagram.
3 Expand the Modulation category, then click the Analog subgroup. Select
the FM_DSCRM block and place it on the system diagram.
4 Click the Signal Processing category, then select the INTG_DMP block
and place it on the system diagram.
5 Expand the Converters category, then click the Analog-Digital subgroup.
Select the ADC block and place it on the system diagram.
6 Add a 4th, 5th and 6th test point at the outputs of the FM_DSCRM,
INTG_DMP and ADC blocks respectively.
7 Click the Signal Processing category, then select the DLY_SMP block and
place it on the system diagram.
8 Expand the Meters category, then click the BER subgroup. Select the
BER_EXT block and place it on the system diagram.

12-8 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

TP TP TP
FSK_SRC ID=TP4 ID=TP5 ID=TP6
ID=A8
MOD=2-FSK
OUTLVL=0 dB
OLVLTYP=Bit Energy (dB)
RATE=1000 AWGN PLSSHP
CTRFRQ=1 GHz ID=A5 ID=F1
MODIDX=0.707 PWR=0 dB PLSTYP=Root Raised Cosine INTG_DMP
PLSTYP=Rectangular TP PWRTYP=Auto ALPHA=0.35 FM_DSCRM ID=A7 ADC
ALPHA=0.35 ID=TP1 LOSS=0 dB PLSLN= ID=A6 N=8 ID=A9
L= NRMTYP=Unit Pulse Power GAIN=1 INTGTYP=Sum*Time Step M=2
PLSLN=
A D
dt
BER_EXT
ID=BER1
SWPVAR=
TP DLY_SMP SWPTYP=Auto
ID=TP3 ID=A10 OUTFL=""
DLY=1
IVAL=0
BER

RND_D TP
ID=A1 ID=TP2
M=2 FM_MOD
DAC ID=A3
RATE=1000 ID=A2 KF=0.707/2*1000
D A 1 3

2
SIN_C
ID=A4
AMPL=5
PHSOFF=0 Deg
OFFFRQ=0 GHz
CTRFRQ=1 GHz

9 Add the following equation to the system diagram.

Eb_No = sweep (stepped(1, 9, 1))
10 Set the AWGN block PWR parameter to “-Eb_No ” and its PWRTYP
parameter to “Normalized N0/2 ”.
11 Set the PLSSHP block PLSTYP parameter to “Gaussian (BT) ” and its
ALPHA parameter to “0.5 ”.
12 Set the FM_DSCRM block GAIN parameter to “2/0.707 ”.
13 Set the INTG_DMP block N parameter to “8 ”.
14 Set the ADC block M parameter to “2 ”.
15 Set the DLY_SMP block DLY parameter to “15 ”.
16 Verify that the BER_EXT block parameters match those in the following
figure.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-9
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

Adding Graphs and Analyzing Results

To add and analyze an RX waveform graph:
1 Add a rectangular graph named “RX Waveforms ”.
2 Add a measurement to this graph using the following settings, then click
Apply.

12-10 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

3 Repeat step 2 but select TP.TP5 as Test Point .

4 Repeat step 2 but select TP.TP6 as Test Point , then click OK .
Run the System Simulator for a few seconds and then stop. A snapshot of
the simulator response is shown in the following graph. Your graph should
look very similar after making the appropriate trace and axis property
changes in the Graph Properties dialog box.
5 Analyze the graph. The bold waveform is the output of the FM
discriminator in low noise. The sample output of the integrate-and-dump
block at every 1 msec or 1e6 nsec (sample at the symbol rate of 1000
samples/sec) is displayed with a triangular mark. As expected, this curve is
positive when the FM discriminator output is increasing, and negative
otherwise. Also observe the output of the ADC block, which slices the
output of the integrate-and-dump block for digital output data. The scale
for integrate-and-dump output and ADC output is on the left y-axis, and
that of the FM discriminator is on the right y-axis.

RX Waveform
2 10000

1.5 8125
ADC output
1 6250

0.5 4375
Sampled output of
INTG_DMP every 1 msec 0 2500

-0.5 625
FM_DSCRM output
-1 -1250
Re(WVFM(TP.TP4,10,1,1)) (R)
-1.5 BFSK -3125
Re(WVFM(TP.TP5,10,1,1)) (L)
-2 BFSK -5000
542000000 544000000 Re(WVFM(TP.TP6,10,1,1))
546000000 548000000
(L) 550000000 552000000
BFSK Time (ns)

6 Add another rectangular graph named “BER ”.

7 Add a measurement to this graph using the settings in the following figure,
then click Apply.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-11
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

8 Add another measurement to this graph to represent the performance of a

non-coherent receiver, using the settings in the following figure, then click
Apply.

9 Repeat step 9 but select “Coherent ” as Demodulation Type. This represents

the performance of a coherent linear (correlation) receiver.

12-12 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

10 Repeat step 9 but select “Discriminator ” as Demodulation Type, then click

OK . This represents the performance of the nonlinear discrimination
receiver, under an ideal assumption.
11 Set the BER_EXT block TXTOUT parameter to “Trial statistics ”.
12 Run the simulation. A text window displays with the statistics of BER
simulation.
13 Select the BER graph window, then click the Properties button on the
toolbar. Click the Traces and Axes tabs and make the appropriate changes
to your graph so it looks similar to the following graph.

BER
1

.1

BER(BER_EXT.BER1,0,0)
.01
BFSK
FSK_BERREF(BER_EXT.BER1,0,1,1)
BFSK
.001 FSK_BERREF(BER_EXT.BER1,0,0,1)
BFSK
FSK_BERREF(BER_EXT.BER1,0,2,1)
BFSK
.0001
1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9

14 Set the SIN_C block AMPL parameter to “5*10^(Eb_No/20) ”.

15 Set the AWGN block PWR parameter to “0 ” db.
16 Run the simulation again. Note that these changes have no effect on the
BER simulation; the results are identical. If you use the FSK_SRC block in
the system (instead of elementary blocks), you can achieve the identical
BER simulation by setting its OUTLVL parameter to “0 ” db and the
AWGN block PWR parameter to “-Eb_No ”, or by setting OUTLVL to
“Eb_No ” and PWR to “0 ” db.
17 Save and close the project.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-13
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

PHASE NOISE AND I/Q IMBALANCE EXAMPLE

In this section you observe the effects of oscillator phase noise on different
modulation schemes. Phase noise causes erroneous separation of the I (in-
phase) and Q (quadrature-phase) RF signal, resulting in I/Q plot errors
proportional to the amplitude of the signal and dependent on the phasing of the
RF signal. In this exercise you model the phase noise by adding colored noise to
the phase of a complex sinusoidal signal. You also observe the effect of
amplitude and/or phase mismatch (I/Q imbalance) of a complex signal. For
more information, see the PhaseNoise/IQ Imbalance application notes
available in the KnowledgeBase on AWR’s website at www.mwoffice.com.
The procedures in this example include:
• Modeling the phase noise
• Analyzing the effect of phase noise in a QAM signal
• Analyzing the effect of I/Q imbalance in a QAM signal.

Modeling the Phase Noise

In this section you first use elementary blocks to model the phase noise. The
complete example is available as “Phase_noise.emp” in your Program Files\
AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\PHNoise directory.
To create the schematic:
1 Create a project named “Phase_noise ”.
2 Add a system diagram named “Phase Noise Generator ” to the project.
3 To set the project options choose Options > Project Options and click the
Global Units tab. Set the Frequency as MHz , Time as us and Power/Log as
dBW.

4 Click the Frequencies tab. Set the frequency Start to “0 ” MHz, the Stop to
“200 ” MHz, and specify the Step as “2 ” MHz, then click Apply and OK .
5 In the Element Browser System Blocks list, expand the Converters
category, then click the Mag/Phase subgroup. Select the C2MP block
(separates complex to magnitude and phase) and place it on the system
diagram.
6 Select the MP2C block (combines magnitude and phase to form complex)
and place/connect it on the system diagram as shown in the following
figure.

12-14 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

7 Expand the Math Tools category, then click the Adders subgroup. Select
the ADD2 block and place/connect it on the system diagram as shown in
the following figure.
8 Expand the Sources category, then click the Noise subgroup. Select the
COLORNS block and place/connect it on the system diagram as shown in
the following figure.
9 Click the Ports category, then place/connect the PORTDIN input data
port and the PORTOUT output data port on the system diagram as shown
in the following figure.

PORTDIN C2MP MP2C PORTDOUT

P=1 ID=A1 ID=A4 P=2

1 2 1 3

3 2

ADD2
COLORNS ID=A3
ID=A2 PRIMINP=Auto
FC=
PWR=0 dBW 1 3

10 Right-click Data Files in the Project Browser and choose Import Data File.
Select Text Data Files as Files of type, then browse to and select the
“Phmask.txt” file located in the Program Files\ AWR\AWR2003\Examples\
Getting Started\VSS\PHNoise directory. This data file contains noise power
information for various frequencies.
11 Set the COLORNS block FC parameter to “Phmask ” (including quotes),
the PWR parameter to “-5 ”, the NFLT parameter to “1024 ”, and the
RSEED parameter to “{0} ”.
12 In the Project Browser, right-click the “Phase Noise Generator” system
diagram and choose Export System Diagram . Name the exported file
“Phase Noise Generator ” and save it to the Program Files\AWR\
AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\PHNoise directory. This process
saves the system diagram for future import with a “.sys” extension.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-15
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

Adding Phase Noise to a QAM Signal

To add phase noise to a QAM signal:
1 Add a system diagram to the project named “QAM System ”.
2 Expand the Modulation category, then click the QAM subgroup. Select the
QAM_SRC block and place it on the system diagram as shown in the
following figure. Set the MOD parameter to “16-QAM (Gray)” and the
PLSTYP parameter to Raised Cosine.
3 Expand the RF Blocks category, then click the Behavioral subgroup. Add a
MIXER_B block to the system diagram as shown in the following figure.
4 Expand the Sources category, then click the Waveforms subgroup. Select
the SIN_C block and place it on the system diagram as shown in the
following figure.
5 Set the SIN_C block CTRFRQ parameter to “5200 ” MHz.
6 Click the Subcircuits category and add the “Phase Noise Generator”
subcircuit to the system as shown in the following figure.
7 Click the Signal Processing category, select the DECIM block and place
two of them on the system diagram as shown in the following figure.
8 Set the DECIM block RATIO parameter to “8 ” and the DLY parameter to
“4 ” for both blocks.
9 Add four test points to complete the system as shown in the following
figure.

12-16 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

TP
ID=TP1

DECIM
ID=A4
RATIO=8
PHS=0
QAM_SRC DLY=4 TP TP
ID=A2 ID=TP3
MOD=16-QAM (Gray) MIXER_B ID=TP2
OUTLVL=0 dB FCOUT=
OLVLTYP=Avg. Power (dBW) GCONV=-6 dB
RATE=_DRATE P1DB=130 dBW DECIM
CTRFRQ=0 MHz IP3=140 dBW ID=A3
PLSTYP=Raised Cosine PLOUSE=Spur reference only RATIO=8
ALPHA=0.35 PIN=30 dBW PHS=0
PLSLN= DLY=4
IN OUT

LO

TP
ID=TP4

SUBCKT
SIN_C ID=S1
CTRFRQ=5200 MHz NET="Phase Noise Generator"

1 2

10 Set the MIXER_B block parameters to the values shown in the following
figure, then click OK .

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-17
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

Adding Graphs and Analyzing Results

In this section you view the signal constellation with and without adding noise
to the system.
To add and analyze a constellation graph:
1 Add a constellation graph named “QAM Constellation ”.
2 Add two System/IQ measurements to the graph to display the
constellations at test points TP1 and TP2. Set the Block Diagram to QAM
System and the Time Span to “1000 ” for each measurement in the Add
Measurement dialog box.
3 Add a rectangular graph named “Power Spectrum ”.

12-18 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

4 Add a measurement to the “Power Spectrum” graph using the settings in

the following figure, then click Apply.

5 Repeat the previous step and select TP.TP3 as the Test Point (to display the
power spectrum at the output of the mixer), then click OK .
6 Run the simulation. The simulation response in the following graph should
display.
The result is as expected--phase noise results in a rotational pattern more
predominant at a higher amplitude, as seen in the outer corners of the
constellation. This is typically due to the up- or downconverter. Gain
compression is demonstrated by the outer corners of the constellation
being compressed toward the middle of the display. Gain compression is
caused by an active device, which in this case is the upconverter.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-19
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

QAM Constellation
15

-5

IQ(TP.TP1,1000,1,0)
QAM System
-15
IQ(TP.TP2,1000,1,0)
-15 -5 5
QAM System 15

7 The simulation response in the following graph should display.

DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP3,1000,1,10,1,-1,0,-1,1,1,0)) (dBW)
QAM System
DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP4,1000,0,10,1,-1,0,-1,1,1,0)) (dBW)
QAM System Graph 2
0
Output signal
Spectrum

Noise Signal -50

Spectrum

-100

-150
1200 2200 3200 4200 5200 6200 7200 8200 9200
Frequency (MHz)

12-20 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

I/Q Imbalance and Image Rejection Ratio

Any digital transmitter-receiver communication system which comprises analog
and digital sections is plagued by “in-phase to quadrature-phase” (I-Q)
imbalance, causing the signal to distort. I-Q imbalance occurs when the
quadrature-phase signal components of the modulated signal are not perfectly in
quadrature (separated in-phase by 90-degrees), or are otherwise processed
unequally, such as the application of differing gain to in-phase and quadrature
signals when equal gain is desired. I-Q imbalances typically occur at least in the
analog sections of the communication system, particularly in connection with
upconversion and downconversion. In this section you study the I-Q imbalance
in a QAM signal by the effect of either a dirty input signal or a dirty local
oscillator (LO). You also measure the image rejection ratio (IRR).
To view the I-Q imbalance in a QAM signal:
1 In the Element Browser, expand the XML Libraries category, then expand
the RF Blocks subgroup. Click the Imbalance group, then select the
INP_IMBAL block and place/connect it on the “QAM System” system
diagram as shown in the following figure.
2 Disable and bypass the “Phase Noise Generator” subcircuit as shown in the
following figure

DECIM
ID=A4
RATIO=8 TP MIXER_B
PHS=0 ID=TP1 ID=A2
DLY=4 MODE=Up converter
FCOUT=
QAM_SRC GCONV=-6 dB
ID=A6 P1DB=130 dBW
MOD=16-QAM (Gray) IP3=140 dBW
OUTLVL=0 dB LO2OUT=
OLVLTYP=Avg. Power (dBW) SUBCKT IN2OUT=
RATE=_DRATE ID=S2 PLO=-20 dBW DECIM
CTRFRQ=0 MHz NET="Input Imbalance1" PLOUSE=Spur reference only TP ID=A5 TP
PLSTYP=Raised Cosine DCoffset=0.02 PIN=30 dBW ID=TP3 RATIO=8 ID=TP2
ALPHA=0.35 AMPIMBAL=0.6 NF=6 dB PHS=0
PLSLN= PHAIMBAL=6 NOISE=Off DLY=4
IN OUT
1 2

LO
TP
ID=TP4
SIN_C
ID=A3
AMPL=1 SUBCKT
PHSOFF=0 Deg ID=S1
OFFFRQ=0 MHz NET="Phaise Noise Generator"
CTRFRQ=5200 MHz

1 2

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-21
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

3 Run the simulation. The simulation response in the following graph should
display.
The constellation at the output is slightly skewed. You can alter the
AMPIMBAL and PHAIMBAL parameters and analyze the effect on the
constellation even further. The system thus simulated has a dirty input
signal (causing imbalance) and a clean LO. You can also build the system
with a clean input signal and a dirty LO (causing imbalance). To do so you
need to remove the INP_IMBAL block and add the LO_IMBAL block
between the SIN_C block and the “LO” terminal of the MIXER_B block.
This also causes the output constellation to skew in a similar pattern.

IQ(TP.TP1,100,1,0) IQ(TP.TP2,1000,1,0)
QAM System Graph 1QAM System
15

Constellation with no
Imbalance

-5

Constellation due to
I/Q Imbalance
-15
-15 -5 5 15

The INP_IMBAL block has an amplitude imbalance of 0.6, a phase

imbalance of 6 degrees and a DC offset value of 20e-3 (or 0.02). If the DC
offset value is zero, ideally it should produce an image rejection ratio (IRR)
of 24 dBW. Here, you display the IRR for tones.
4 Set the DCoffset parameter of the Input Imbalance subcircuit to “0 ”.
5 Replace the QAM_SRC block with a copy of the SIN_C block as shown in
the following figure. Set the new SIN_C block CTRFRQ parameter to
“5200 ” MHz and the OFFFRQ parameter to “100 ” MHz.

12-22 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

DECIM
ID=A4
RATIO=8 TP MIXER_B
PHS=0 ID=TP1 ID=A2
DLY=4 MODE=Up converter
FCOUT=
GCONV=-6 dB
P1DB=130 dBW
IP3=140 dBW
LO2OUT=
SIN_C SUBCKT IN2OUT=
ID=A6 ID=S2 PLO=-20 dBW DECIM
AMPL=1 NET="Input Imbalance1" PLOUSE=Spur reference only TP ID=A5 TP
PHSOFF=0 Deg DCoffset=0.02 PIN=30 dBW ID=TP3 RATIO=8 ID=TP2
OFFFRQ=100 MHz AMPIMBAL=0.6 NF=6 dB PHS=0
CTRFRQ=5200 MHz PHAIMBAL=6 NOISE=Off DLY=4
IN OUT
1 2

LO
TP
ID=TP4
SIN_C
ID=A3
AMPL=1 SUBCKT
PHSOFF=0 Deg ID=S1
OFFFRQ=0 MHz NET="Phaise Noise Generator"
CTRFRQ=5200 MHz

1 2

6 Add a rectangular graph named “IRR ”.

7 Add a measurement to the graph using the settings in the following figure,
then click OK .

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-23
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

8 Run the simulation. The simulation response in the following graph should
display. Measure the difference between the power spectrums of two IF
frequencies, it is almost 24 dBW.

12-24 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP3,10000,1,1,1,0.5,0,-1,1,3,0)) (dBW)
QAM System
IRR
0
10300 MHz 10500 MHz
-49.96 dBW -26.01 dBW
-100

-200

-300

-400
6400 7400 8400 9400 10400 11400 12400 13400 14400
Frequency (MHz)

9 Save and close the project.

END-TO-END 64QAM EXAMPLE

This example presents an advanced end-to-end 64 QAM system. You build the
system comprising an RF chain and phase noise, and observe the error vector
magnitude (EVM), adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR), AM-to-AM
characteristics, and intersymbol interference (ISI) introduced by the filter.
The procedures in this section include:
• Building the QAM system
• Analyzing the impact of oscillator phase noise
• Analyzing the non-linearities of an amplifier
• Analyzing ISI and the jitter in the system.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-25
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

Building a QAM System

The example you create in this section is available as “64QAM.emp” in your
Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\64QAM
directory.
To build a QAM system:
1 Create a project named “64QAM ”.
2 Add a system diagram named “64QAM System ”.
3 To set the project options choose Options > Project Options and click the
Global Units tab. Set the Frequency as GHz , Time as ns and Power/Log as
dBm .

4 Click the Frequencies tab. Set the frequency Start to “27.96 ” GHz, the
Stop to “28.04 ” GHz, and specify the Step as “0.0016 ” GHz, then click
Apply and OK .

5 Choose Options > Default System Options and click the Simulator tab.
Select Data rate (_DRATE) and set its value to “4.6698E-3 ” GHz, then select
Oversampling (_SMPSYM) and set its value to “20 ” samples/symbol. Select
Stop after and set it to “2e5 ” ns.

6 Right-click Data Files in the Project Browser and choose Import Data File.
Browse to and select the “Phmask.txt” file located in the Program
Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\64QAM directory.
7 Import the “Phase Noise Generator.sys” system diagram file generated and
exported in the previous section. This file is located in the Program
Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\PhNoise directory.
8 Right-click Circuit Schematics and import the “RX Filter.sch” file located
in the Program Files\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\
64QAM directory.
9 Expand the Modulation category, then click the QAM subgroup. Select the
QAM_SRC block and place it on the system diagram as shown in the
following figure. Set the MOD parameter to “64-QAM (Gray) ” and the
OUTLVL parameter to “-30 ”.
10 Expand the RF Blocks category, then click the Behavioral subgroup. Select
the MIXER_B block and place/connect it on the system diagram as shown
in the following figure.
11 To create oscillator phase noise, expand the Sources category, then click
the Waveforms subgroup. Select the SIN_C (complex sinusoidal) block and

12-26 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

place it on the system diagram as shown in the following figure. Set the
CTRFRQ parameter to “28 ” GHz.
12 Click the Subcircuits category, then select the “Phase Noise Generator”
subcircuit and connect it to the LO node of the mixer as shown in the
following figure.
13 Expand the RF Blocks category, then click the Behavioral subgroup. Select
the NL_AMP2 block and place/connect it on the system diagram as shown
in the following figure. Set the GAIN parameter to “29 ”, the P1DB
parameter to “28 ”, the IP3 parameter to “35 ”, and the IP2H parameter to
“35 ”. Click Show Secondary and set the S21MAG parameter to “3.162 ”.
14 Click the Signal Processing category, then select the PHASE block and
place/connect it on the system diagram as shown in the following figure.
15 Click the Channels category, then select the AWGN block and place/
connect it on the system diagram as shown in the following figure. Set the
PWR parameter to “-100 ” and the RSEED parameter to “{0} ”.
16 Click the Signal Processing category, then select the ATTEN block and
place/connect it on the system diagram as shown in the following figure.
Set the LOSS parameter to “-22 ”.
17 Expand the RF Blocks category, then click the Simulation Based subgroup.
Select the LIN_S block and place/connect it on the system diagram as
shown in the following figure. Set the NET parameter to “RX Filter ”.
18 Add another NL_AMP2 block, PHASE block, and MIXER_B block and
connect the LO nodes of the two mixers together as shown in the following
figure.
19 Set the copy of the NL_AMP2 block GAIN parameter to “10 ”, the P1DB
parameter to “20 ”, the IP3 parameter to “40 ”, and the IP2H parameter to
“40 ”. Click Show Secondary and set the S21MAG parameter to “3.162 ”.
20 Expand the Modulation category, then click the General Receivers
subgroup. Select and place/connect two RCVR blocks on the system
diagram as shown in the following figure.
21 Expand the Meters category, then click the Network Analyzer subgroup.
Select and place/connect two VSA blocks on the system diagram as shown
in the following figure. Set the NFFT parameters of both blocks to “1024 ”.
22 Add six test points in the same order as shown on the system diagram in
the following figure.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-27
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

RC V R
ID= A5
VS A
1 2
R D ID =M2

3
IQ

5 4 SRC MEAS

TP
ID =T P2
TP
TP
TP ID =TP 4
V SA ID= TP 5
ID =TP 3
ID =M1

TP
ID =T P6
SRC MEAS MI XE R _B
ID =A 12
MOD E =U p conve rter
M IXE R _B
ID = A7 F COU T =
M ODE =U p con verter GC ON V= -6 dB
P 1D B= 130 dB m
F C OUT =
QAM _SR C IP 3=14 0 dB m
GC ON V =-6 d B
ID =A 1 LO2 OUT =
P 1D B =130 dB m
MOD =64- QAM (Gra y) IN 2OU T=
IP 3=1 40 dB m N L_A MP 2 NL_ AMP 2
OU TLV L=- 30 dB P LO=- 20 dB m
L O2OU T= ID = A3 ID= A4
OLV LTY P= Avg. P ow er (dB W) P LOU SE =S pur refer ence only
IN 2OU T = GA IN =29 dB GAIN =10 dB
R AT E=_ DR A TE A W GN P IN =30 d Bm
P LO=- 20 dB m P 1D B =28 dB m P1D B =20 dB m
C TR FR Q=0 GHz I D= A6 N F= 3 dB
P LOU S E=S pur refer ence on yl IP 3=3 5 dB m LIN _S IP3= 40 dB m
PL ST YP =R oot R aised C osine PH A SE P W R =-1 00 dB AT TE N PH A SE N OIS E= Off
P IN =30 dBm IP 2H =35 dBm ID =S2 IP2H =4 0 dB m
AL PH A =0.35 ID =A1 1 P W R TY P= Auto ID =S 1 ID= A2
N F =3 dB N F =3 dB NE T= "R X Filter" NF =3 dB
PL SLN = SH FT =180 De g L OSS =0 d B LOS S=- 22 dB SH FT =180 Deg RCV R
N OIS E= Off N OIS E= Off NOIS E =Off
ID = A9
IN OUT IN OUT
1 2
R D

IQ 3
LO TP LO
ID =TP 1 5 4

SIN _C
ID =A8
AMP L=1 SU B CK T
PH S OFF= 0 D eg ID= S3
OFFF R Q=0 GH z NE T= "P hase N oise Gen erator "
CT R FR Q=28 GHz

1 2

23 Set both PHASE block SHFT parameters to “180 ”.

24 Set both MIXER_B block parameters (except the IDs) to the values shown
in the following figure, then click OK .

12-28 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

Adding Graphs and Analyzing Results

To add and analyze a constellation and rectangular graph:
1 Add a constellation graph named “RX Constellation ”.
2 Add a System/IQ measurement to the graph to display the constellations at
test point TP6 (the output of the RCVR block). Set the Block Diagram to
64QAM System and the Time Span to “400 ”; ensure that the DB check box
is not selected.
3 Run the simulation. The simulation response in the following graph should
display. You can clearly see the effect of inter-symbol interference (ISI)
introduced by the filter on the received signal.

IQ(TP.TP6,400,1,0)
RX Constellation
1.5 64QAM System

0.5

-0.5

-1.5
-1.5 -0.5 0.5 1.5

4 Disable and bypass the LIN_S block, then run the simulation again. Notice
the difference in the signal constellation-- the ISI is minimized. Disabling
the AWGN block would further reduce the jitter in the system.
5 Add a rectangular graph named “RX Filter Response ”.
6 Add two Linear/Port Parameters S-parameter measurements for the filter.
Set the To Port Index to “1 ” for the first measurement and to “2 ” for the
second measurement. For both measurements, set the From Port Index to
“1 ”, the Data Source Name to “RX Filter ”, and select the DB check box.
7 Add a power spectrum measurement of the signal at test point TP5 using
the settings in the following figure, then click OK .

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-29
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

8 Re-enable the LIN_S block and run both the harmonic balance simulator
and system simulator. The simulation response in the following graph
should display after adjusting the left and right axes.

RX Filter Response
0 20

-20 -10

-40 -40

-60 -70
DB(|S(1,1)|) (L)
RX Filter

DB(|S(2,1)|) (L)
-80 RX Filter -100
27.9533 28.0033
DB(PW R_SPEC(TP.TP5,256,1,10,1,-1,0,-1,0,1,0)) (R, dBm) 28.0467
64QAM System
Frequency (GHz)

12-30 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

9 Add a rectangular graph named “EVM ” and add a measurement using the
following settings, then click OK .

Note that the VSA block selected in VSA/Large Signal VNA should be the
block with the receivers connected to it. Your block ID may differ from the
VSA.M2 shown in this dialog box.

10 Run the harmonic balance simulator and system simulator. The simulation
response in the following graph should display.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-31
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

EVM
EVM(VSA.M2,0,1,0,1,2,0,1,0,1,0,100,1)
8
64QAM System

0
338773 343773 348773 353773 358773
Time (ns)

11 Add a rectangular graph named “AM to AM ”, and using the settings in the
following figure, add a measurement to analyze the instantaneous AM-to-
AM characteristic of the signal, then click OK .

Note that the VSA block selected in VSA should be the block connected
across the NL_AMP2 block. Your block ID may differ from the VSA.M1
shown in this dialog box.
12 Run the harmonic balance simulator and system simulator. The simulation
response in the following graph should display.

12-32 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

AM to AM
20

10

-10

-20
DB(AMtoAM_INST(VSA.M1,1024,0)) (dBm)
64QAM System

-30
-30.8 -25.8 -20.8 -15.8 -10.8 -5.799 -0.7992 4.201
Power (dBm)

13 Tune the OUTLVL parameter of the QAM_SRC block and view the impact
on the constellation graph.

Adjacent-Channel Power Ratio (ACPR)

In this section you observe the adjacent-channel power ratio imposed by the
nonlinear effect of the power amplifier. You can calculate ACPR in two different
ways. The first is by finding 10*log of the ratio of the total output power to the
power in the adjacent channel. The second and most popular method, shown
here, is finding the ratio of the output power in a smaller bandwidth around the
center of a carrier, to the power in the adjacent channel. The smaller bandwidth
is equal to the bandwidth of the adjacent channel signal. In VSS you can
measure the ACPR at a given signal power or over a range of signal power.
In the following simple example, the channel of interest is centered at 28 GHz
and has a bandwidth of 15 MHz. The adjacent channel is centered at 28.010
GHz and also has a bandwidth of 15 MHz. The input carrier signal is centered
at 28 GHz and has a bandwidth of 15 MHz.
To measure the ACPR at the signal power of -30 dBW:
1 Add a tabular graph named “ACPR ” and add a measurement using the
following settings, then click OK .

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-33
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

Note that the VSA block selected in Vector Signal Analyzer should be the
block connected across the NL_AMP2 block. Your block ID may differ
from the VSA.M1 shown in this dialog box.
2 In the VSA block specified above, set the SWPDUR parameter to “10 ” ns.
3 Start the simulation. The tabulated form displays the ACPR value shown in
the following table.

To measure the ACPR over a range of signal power:

1 In the QAM_SRC block, set the OUTLVL parameter to
“sweep(stepped(-30,-10,5)) ” without the quotes.
2 Start the simulation again and let it run for a couple of minutes. Notice how
the ACPR tabular graph updates. You can display the results in a rectangular
graph by right-clicking ACPR under Graphs in the Project Browser and

12-34 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

choosing Change Type to > Rectangular. The simulation response in the

following graph should display.

ACPR
0.028
0.027 ACPR(VSA.M1,28.0e9,2,15.0e6,2,10.0e6,2,15.0e6,2,28.0e9,2,15.0e6,2,0)
64QAM System

0.025

0.023

0.021

0.019

0.017
0.0472 3.05 6.05 9.05 12 15 18 20
Power (dBm)

3 Save and close the project.

MIXER MODELING EXAMPLE

In this example you model a mixer from a given set of intermodulation and
harmonic suppression (spurs) data. The spur suppressions for the mixer are
specified through a text data file. You can use different text data file formats to
specify the spurs.
Here you use the MIXER_F block which implements a behavioral model of the
nonlinear mixer. This block is normally used to model a specific mixer only
when the spur table is available, otherwise you should use the MIXER_B block
instead.
This procedures in this section include:
• Modeling a mixer
• Using various data file formats and verifying the results

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-35
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

Setting up the System

The example you create in this section is available in its complete form as
MIXER.emp. This file is included in your ProgramFiles\AWR\AWR2003\
Examples\VSS\MIXER directory. In this example you model the mixers using a
given data file and its transpose file and then verify that the two instances are
identical.
To build a mixer system:
1 Create a project named “Mixer ”.
2 To set the project options choose Options > Project Options and click the
Frequencies tab. Set the frequency Start to “1000 ” MHz, the Stop to
“2000 ” MHz, and specify the Step as “1000 ” MHz, then click Apply and
OK . On the Global Units tab, ensure that Frequency is set to “MHz ”.

3 Choose Options > Default System Options and click the Simulator tab.
Select Data rate (_DRATE) and set its value to “1.0e3 ” MHz, then select
Oversampling (_SMPSYM) and set its value to “10 ” samples/symbol. Select
Stop after and set it to “100 ” ns.

4 Import the “Mixer1.sys” and “Mixer2.sys” system diagrams located in the

ProgramFiles\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\VSS\MIXER directory.
“Mixer1” is shown in the following diagram. Note that these diagrams
contain several variables which are declared in various element parameters.

12-36 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

TP
ID=TP1
TP
ID=TP2
MIXER_F
ID=A3
SPURS="mixer1"
SPURFMT=Inp rows x LO columns
LOHTYP=dBc IF
MODE=Up converter
FCOUT=
GCONV=-7.5 dB
P1DB=6 dBm TST2IN
SIN_C IP3=19 dBm ID=T1
ID=A1 PLO=PLO-30 dBW TOL=1e-10
AMPL=VIn PLOUSE=Spur reference only TOLTYP=Absolute
PHSOFF=0 Deg PIN=PIn-30 dBW MXSMP=
OFFFRQ=FIn-FCIn Hz NF=6 dB SKIPA=0
CTRFRQ=FCIn Hz NOISE=Off SKIPB=0
IMPROD= CHKCFRQ=No
IN OUT
1 3

x==y
MIXER_F 2
TP LO ID=A4
ID=TP3 SPURS="mixer1_T"
SPURFMT=LO rows x Inp columns
LOHTYP=dBc IF
MODE=Up converter
SIN_C FCOUT=
ID=A2 GCONV=-7.5 dB
P1DB=6 dBm
AMPL=VLO
IP3=19 dBm
PHSOFF=0 Deg
OFFFRQ=FLO-FCLO Hz PLO=PLO-30 dBW
CTRFRQ=FCLO Hz PLOUSE=Spur ref erence only
PIN=PIn-30 dBW
NF=6 dB
NOISE=Off
IMPROD=

IN OUT

LO

5 Import the “mixer1.txt” and “mixer1_T.txt” data files located in the

ProgramFiles\AWR\AWR2003\Examples\Getting Started\VSS\MIXER
directory. In the “mixer1” data file, each row represents the input harmonic
and each column represents the LO harmonic, with the top row and left
column representing the first harmonic. The “mixer1_T” data file is the
transpose of the “mixer1” data file with rows representing LO harmonics
and columns representing the input harmonic.
On the “Mixer1” system diagram:
6 Depending on the type of data file used, you must set the SPURFMT
parameter. Verify that the MIXER_F block connected between test point 1
and 2 has the following parameter values.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-37
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

7 In the second MIXER_F block, set SPURS to “mixer1_T ”, SPURFMT to

“LO rows x Inp columns ”, and set the remaining parameters as shown in
the previous figure.

12-38 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

Adding Graphs and Analyzing Results

With FLO=2000MHz, FIn=1950MHz, PLO=+10dBm, PIn=-10dBm,
GCONV=-7.5dB, the expected tones are shown in the following figure.

To verify these results using the proper graphs:

1 Add a rectangular graph named “Mixer1 Spectrum ”.
2 Add a power spectrum measurement using the settings in the following
figure, then click Apply.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-39
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

3 Add another measurement using the same settings, but set the Test Point to
TP.TP3 .

4 Add another measurement using the same settings, but set the Test Point to
TP.TP2and RBW/#Bins to “400 ”.
5 Run the simulation. The simulation response in the following graph should
display after changing your graph’s trace styles and axes to match those
shown.

12-40 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP1,200,1,1,1,-1,0,-1,0,1,0)) (dBm)
Mixer1
Mixer1 Spectrum
DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP3,200,1,1,1,-1,0,-1,0,1,0)) (dBm)
100 Mixer1
DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP2,400,1,1,1,-1,0,-1,0,1,0)) (dBm)
Mixer1

2050 MHz 7950 MHz

50 MHz 150 MHz -50.51 dBm 4050 MHz
-17.51 dBm -85.65 dBm -29.51 dBm -29.51 dBm
0

-100

-200
-3200 -200 2800 5800 8700
Frequency (MHz)

6 Right-click on the graph and choose Marker to measure the values in the
graph and compare them with those given in the previous table of expected
values. Move the “+” cursor to the point you want to measure and click to
display the graph value at that point. The result is as expected, otherwise
TST2IN would generate an error message. Alter any elements in either of
the two text data files and run the simulation; an error message is generated.

Exploring with a Different Data Format

In this example you use a different data format to model the mixer.
To model the mixer using a different data file:
1 Import the “mixer2.txt” data file. This file combines the spur table for three
different mixers into one data file with all of the tables required to have the
same number of columns. The first column is the LO power associated
with a row. The remaining columns specify LO harmonics, with the first
harmonic corresponding to the second column. The rows represent the
input harmonic associated with the LO power value in the first column, and
the first row of a given LO power value representing the first harmonic.
2 Similarly, import the “mixer2_T.txt” data file, the transpose of “mixer2.txt”.
The expected results for LO=10 dBm are the same as for the “Mixer1”
system diagram. The expected results for LO=13 dBm are shown in the
following figure.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-41
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

On the “Mixer2” system diagram:

3 In the mixer connected between test points 1 and 2, set the SPURS
parameter to “mixer2 ”, SPURFMT to “LO Power(dBm); Inp rows x LO
columns ”, and leave PLO empty.

4 Repeat step 3 for the mixer connected between test points 4 and 5.
5 In the third mixer with an A4 ID, set the SPURS parameter to “mixer2_T ”,
SPURFMT to “LO Power(dBm); LO rows x Inp columns ”, and leave PLO
empty.
6 With this setup, the two mixer instances (one connected to TP4 and the
other to TP1) check the proper selection of the Spur table based on LO
power. The mixer connected to TP4 uses the portion of the Spur table with
LO=10 dBm, while the mixer connected to TP1 uses the portion with
LO=13 dBm. The third mixer instance (connected to TP3 and TST2IN)
uses the transpose of the data file with the “LO Power(dBm); LO rows x Inp
columns ” setting, which should produce the same result.

7 Add a rectangular graph named “Mixer2 Spectrum ” and add a

measurement using the settings in the following figure, then click Apply.

12-42 MWO/VSS 2003

 VSS EXAMPLES

8 Repeat the previous step, but set the Test Point to TP.TP2 .
9 Run the simulation. The simulation response in the following graph should
display after changing your graph’s trace styles and axes to match those
shown.

G e t t i n g S t a r t e d G u i d e 12-43
 VSS EXAMPLES
12

DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP2,400,1,1,1,-1,0,-1,0,1,0)) (dBm)
Mixer2 Mixer2 Spectrum
100 DB(PWR_SPEC(TP.TP5,400,1,1,1,-1,0,-1,0,1,0)) (dBm)
Mixer2

2050 MHz 3950 MHz 5950 MHz

50 MHz -17.51 dBm -36.51 dBm
-36.51 dBm
-17.51 dBm
0

-100

-200
-1300 -300 700 1700 2700 3700 4700 5700 6700 7700 8700
Frequency (MHz)

10 The results are as expected. Measure the values in the graph and compare
them with the values in the previous table.
11 Save and close the project.

12-44 MWO/VSS 2003

INDEX
............................

....
A variables 9-9
ACPR 12-33 Currents, animating 7-18
Adding Curve meter 6-4
a chip cap cell 5-18
measurements 8-15 D
ports and wires 3-9 Data file, changing the ground node 5-6
subcircuits to diagrams 3-9 Data types 8-1
subcircuits to schematics 3-8 Database units 5-3
AM modulation 8-6 De-embedding lines 7-11
Animation 7-18 Default
Artwork cell grid size 5-3
adding ports to 5-16 project units 4-2
adding to a schematic element 5-10 Demodulation 12-7
assigning 5-10 Distributed interdigital filter 7-2
creating 5-12 Documentation 1-3
AWR Design Environment 3-1 Dynamic load line measurement 6-21
components 3-2
E
B E-fields, viewing 7-18
Back annotation 6-8 Electromagnetic (EM) simulator 7-1
BER simulation 9-9 Element Browser 3-3
Bias circuit 6-6 Element catalog 8-10
Blocks 8-8 Element symbol, changing 5-6
connecting 8-10, 8-11 Elements, adding to schematics 3-7, 4-3
placing in a diagram 8-9, 8-10, 9-2 EM simulation 7-1
EM structure drawings 3-11
C
EM structures, creating 3-10, 7-2
Cell libraries 3-14
End-to-end 64QAM 12-25
Circuit
End-to-end system 9-1
analyzing 4-9
Exporting layout 5-26
optimizing 4-14, 4-19
Eye diagram 11-10
tuning 4-10
Conductors, adding to layout 7-6 F
Connecting nodes 3-9 Filters 10-2, 10-10
Creating
layout 7-20
layout 3-12
response 11-8

Getting Started Guide Index-1

 INDEX

FLEXlm license, obtaining 2-4 creating from schematic 5-1

Frequency exporting 5-26
center 8-4 viewing 5-11
sampling 8-4 Layout cell,anchoring 5-11
simulation 4-6 Layout Manager 3-14
FSK 12-1 Linear simulators 4-1
modulator 12-4 Lines
de-embedding 7-11
G
Lines, de-embedding 7-11
GDSII cell library 5-4
Load line measurement 6-21
Graphs
Lumped element filter, creating 4-1
adding measurements 3-15
creating 3-15, 8-14 M
displaying results on 7-16 Measurements
types 3-16 adding 3-16, 4-8, 8-15
Ground node IP3 vs voltage 6-26
adding 4-5 Microstrip elements, placing 5-7
changing 5-6 Mixer modeling 12-35
Group delay 11-8 MTRACE2 element 5-20
Multi-tone analysis 6-1
H
Hardware/software requirements 2-2 N
Harmonic balance 6-1, 11-1 Netlists, creating 3-4
port 6-10, 6-11 Nonlinear
simulator 11-1 measurements 6-1
model 6-3
I
simulation frequencies 6-12
I/Q imbalance 12-14, 12-21
simulator 6-1
Image rejection ratio 12-21
Importing O
cell library 5-4 Online help 1-4, 3-18
data file 5-5 Optimization goals, adding 4-14
GDSII cell library 5-4 Optimizing
layer process file 5-3 circuits 4-14
models 11-1 with subcircuits 4-19
Installing MWO/VSS 2-1
P
L Parameter
Large signal reflection coefficient 6-13 editing 4-6, 8-13
Layer process file (LPF), importing 3-14, 5-3 propagation 8-5
Layout tuning 9-8
creating 3-12 Phase Noise 12-14

Index-2 MWO/VSS 2003

 INDEX

Phase shift 11-4 adding to a diagram 3-9, 10-1

Ports adding to a schematic 3-4, 3-8, 6-16
adding 3-9, 7-11 optimizing with 4-19
adding to artwork cell 5-16 Swept variables 6-26
and wires 3-8 Symbol, changing 5-6
editing 3-10 System diagram 3-6, 8-10
Pout vs. frequency measurement 6-19 adding blocks 8-10
Power amplifier circuit 6-2 creating 3-6, 8-9
Project
linking to MWO 10-1
creating 3-4, 4-1, 4-2, 8-7
System settings, defaults 8-8
opening 3-4
System simulator options 8-13
saving 3-4
setting default units 4-2 T
Project Browser 3-3 Technical support 1-4
Test points, adding 8-11
Q
Third-order intermodulation measurement 6-25
QAM 12-26 Tuning
diagram 9-2 a circuit 4-10
signal 12-16 simulations 3-17
system simulation 10-7 system parameters 9-8
Two-tone harmonic balance port 6-23
R
Receiver 12-4, 12-7 V
Routing elements 5-20 Variables
creating 4-12, 9-9
S
sweeping 6-26
Sampling frequency 8-2
Vector signal analyzer block 11-5
Schematic
Vector variables 4-15
adding elements to 4-3
Vias, adding 7-9
copying 6-23
Viewing
creating 4-3
a layout 5-11
editing 5-18
E-Fields 7-18
importing 6-15
structures in 3D 7-11
Scripts 3-17
VSS theory 8-1
Signal representation 8-2
Simulation W
frequency 3-16, 4-6, 7-13 Website support 1-4
results 8-16 Wires, adding 4-4
Single-tone analysis 6-1 Wizards 3-17
Snapping layout cells 5-21
Starting MWO/VSS 3-1
Subcircuits

Getting Started Guide Index-3

 INDEX

Index-4 MWO/VSS 2003