W2340EP RFPro UI, Momentum, FEM Element

RFPro Highlights

• New User Interface - Run EM analysis as easily as circuit simulation
• Expert EM Presets - Always correct settings of EM analysis for RF/Microwave circuit design
• Analysis, Tuning, Optimization - Interactive EM-Circuit co-simulation
• EM Simulation Technologies – Finite Element Method (FEM) and Method of Moments (Momentum)
• Integrated in Advanced Design System (ADS) – No need for external EM simulators
  > No more "cookie cutting" & cleanup for separate EM analysis
  > No more errors from manual re-assignment of EM ports and materials
  > No more tedious re-import and stitching of EM results for EM-Circuit co-simulation
  > No need to learn another unfamiliar tool or wait for someone to run external batch EM analysis

Watch our new video on Keysight RFPro in ADS for EM-Circuit Co-Simulation.

Explore RFPro EM Applications.

The W2340EP RFPro UI, Momentum, FEM Element (RFPro) is the next generation electromagnetic (EM) simulation platform for RF and Microwave circuit designs. RFPro revolutionizes RFIC, MMIC & RF Module design for 5G Wireless, Aerospace-Defense, Automotive and IoT applications by seamlessly integrating EM with circuit simulation to become the industry’s first EM simulation platform dedicated to RF/Microwave circuit designs.

Seamlessly integrated with Advanced Design System (ADS), RFPro makes performing EM analysis as easy as running circuit simulations, with predictive expert settings that used to be configured by dedicated EM simulation experts.

Figure 1. Analyze, Tune & Optimize EM and Circuit effects interactively with RFPro.

New User Interface

RFPro also offers predictive expert settings for correct EM analysis of physical circuit layout structures every time. Automatic EM-circuit co-simulation partitioning integrates EM results effortlessly into circuit design for interactive tuning and optimization.

Figure 2. Automatic EM-Circuit co-simulation partitioning enables effortless integration of EM results into circuit design for tuning and optimization.

Figure 3. Automatic extraction of selected nets or components without layout modification makes EM-Circuit co-simulation with RFPro easy and spontaneous during design.

Expert EM Presets

Run an EM simulation in any portion of your RF layout in situ without worrying about how to set up the analysis and spontaneously use the EM results in your circuit design workflow. Account for, or even exploit EM-circuit interactions to quickly explore innovative design options that would be very tedious to do in the past.

Figure 4. Predictive EM expert settings ensure correct EM analysis every time.

Analysis, Tuning, Optimization

RFPro's seamless integration into ADS means no "cookie cutting" and clean-up of layout for offline EM analysis. This eliminates hours, days, and sometimes weeks of manual work preparing your layout to run an EM simulation. Therefore, you can interactively tune, optimize and analyze your design to understand the impact of well-known physical effects such as laminate registration and fabrication over- and under-sizing.

Figure 5. RF Board designed in ADS.

Figure 6. RFPro seamless integration with ADS makes EM analysis as easy as running circuit simulation.

EM Simulation Technologies 

Traditional circuit simulation is no longer adequate for the design of RF modules, RFICs and MMICs because of increasing operating frequencies, complex waveforms and technology integration density. The physical aspects of the circuit tend to interact more closely as complexity increases, which means that EM effects become a first-order contributor to circuit performance and must be considered in all stages of the design process. The RFPro platform unifies full 3D finite element method (FEM) and 3D planar method of moments (Momentum) EM simulation technologies for easy choice of solvers to analyze physical structures efficiently and get accurate answers quickly.

Figure 7. Finite Element Method (FEM) for full 3D EM analysis.

Figure 8. Method of Moments (Momentum) for 3D planar EM analysis.

How you can get RFPro in Advanced Design System (ADS)

RFPro is seamlessly integrated with ADS 2019 and beyond in the following bundles and elements which contain both Momentum and FEM electromagnetic simulation capabilities.

To learn more about the bundles listed in the table above, click the Options & Accessories tab above to view Related Software Products.

RFPro in Virtuoso

RFPro is also integrated into Cadence Virtuoso, enabling RFIC and MMIC designers using Virtuoso to enjoy the same ease-of-use and spontaneous access to EM simulation as in ADS for EM-circuit cosimulation.

Figure 8. Power amplifier RFIC layout in Virtuoso -> Power amplifier EM-circuit cosimulation with RFPro integrated into Virtuoso

Figure 9. VCO RFIC layout in Virtuoso -> VCO EM-circuit cosimulation with RFPro integrated into Virtuoso

The Story Behind the Creation of RFPro

"The vision for RFPro began over three years ago," says Joe Civello, ADS Product Manager. "RF design engineers simply want to include EM effects in their circuit design. They hate wasting hours, days and sometimes weeks of manual work preparing their layout to run an EM simulation, and then spending more time integrating the EM model with their circuit design. Circuit designers want to simulate any portion of their design and get an accurate answer, including electromagnetic and circuit models, without having to “cookie cut” the layout. And then after the initial simulation, designers want to be able to tune, optimize and analyze their design to understand the electro-magnetic impact of well-known physical effects like laminate registration and fabrication over- and under-sizing."

Learn more about Advanced Design System (ADS) Simulation Elements