CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
10 July 2007
Product News
Ansoft Releases SIwave v3.5; Latest Release Adds New Features for Power Rail Extraction in Low-Voltage/High-Current PCB and Package Designs
Ansoft Corporation released SIwaveT v3.5, a full-wave electromagnetic field simulator optimized for signal-integrity, power-integrity, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) analysis of high-speed printed circuit boards (PCBs) and complex integrated circuit (IC) packages.
The new release features a fast and efficient finite-element-based DC solver optimized for extraction of power rail geometry in complex low-voltage/high-current PCB and package designs. Engineers can view voltage and current distributions in all relevant geometry including vias and bond wires. In addition, users have access to voltage drop and current flow information through all layout elements (vias, bond wires, sources, resistors, inductors, etc.) in tabular format, allowing engineers to quickly identify design rule violations. SIwave v3.5, leveraging Ansoft's adaptive mesh refinement technology, allows users to find layout problems quickly and warns of possible bond wire and via electromigration damage prior to the fabrication of a prototype.
"SIwave is a key technology for enabling the new era of mixed-signal electronics design driven by form-factor, functionality and integration," said Dr. Zoltan Cendes, chairman and chief technology officer of Ansoft. "Extreme integration in wireless handheld devices, for example, creates new challenges for RF performance, system signal integrity, system-level EMI, low power and communications reliability. SIwave, combined with HFSST, Nexxim® and DesignerSIT, form a system design platform capable of addressing these challenges."
SIwave accurately simulates the electromagnetic behavior of complex PCBs and IC packages, including multiple, arbitrarily shaped power and ground layers and any number of vias and signal traces. The resulting full-wave S-,Y- or Z-parameters or GHz-bandwidth circuit model is used in concert with time- and frequency-domain analyses within Nexxim and DesignerSI or third-party SPICE-compatible circuit tools. Engineers use SIwave to extract a model for the complex interactions among traces on the board, the coupled impedances within the IC package and between package pins and the PCB. That model can then be used in a top-level circuit simulation to characterize the nonlinear behavior of an IC, including the package and board parasitics. This chip-package-board co-simulation is critical for reliable integrated electronics system performance.
Highlights of SIwave v3.5
Fast and efficient DC solver (for IR drop verification)
64-bit capability for all solvers
Frequency-dependent source implementation
• Linear interpolation to fit external source datasets
• External sources can have frequency-dependent impedance
Frequency-dependent material model (Djordjevic-Sarkar)
Causal trace and via models
Visualization of near E and H fields
Clip Design tool to quickly remove extraneous portions of complex designs
Improved dynamic link between SIwave and HFSS
• Link based on both E- and H-field
Automated frequency spectrum transfer using dynamic link to Nexxim v3.5 and Ansoft Designer v3.5
To learn more, please visit http://www.ansoft.com/siwave .
Pricing and Availability
SIwave v3.5 is available on the following operating systems: Microsoft Windows® XP Professional; Windows XP Professional x64 Edition; Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition; Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition; and Red Hat Enterprise Linux® 3 and 4. For pricing information, contact your nearest Ansoft sales office.
Become a member of the CIMdata PLM Community to receive your daily PLM news and much more.
Tell us what you think of the CIMdata Newsletter. Send your feedback.
CIMdata is committed to your privacy. Your personal information will never be sold or shared outside of CIMdata without your express permission.