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PathWave Advanced Design System (ADS) 2024

PathWave ADS 2024 Update 2.0 continues to offer the industry’s most complete RF and Microwave, High-Speed Digital, Power Electronics and Quantum Electronics design capabilities in simulation software that you’ve come to depend on. This update release includes enhancements for HSD, RFPro EM, nonlinear circuit, electro-thermal simulation, layout editing, AEL functions and design import/export. Powerful Python programing interface enables automating AI machine learning to create neural network nonlinear circuit simulation models; and customizing all aspects of ADS workflow for optimal design efficiency and enterprise deployment.

New PathWave ADS 2024 Update 2.0 design capabilities include:

New PCIe PHY Designer for PCIe Gen5 and Gen6 high-speed digital design

  • Streamlines design and simulation for PCIe applications.
  • PCIe Gen5 and Gen6 (PAM4) standards compliance tests.
  • Supports Seasim interface, Root Complex (RC), End Point (EP) & Repeater.

More accurate RFPro 3D-EM and 3D-Planar meshing and analysis

  • EM simulation of short edges, arcs and circular structures is more accurate with increased meshing robustness, which can include area pins with holes.
  • When simulation inputs are unchanged, previous results are efficiently reused without re-simulation.
  • RFPro EM automatically create analysis based on legacy EM Setup view. This capability can also be automated through Python.
  • Thickness process variation supported in addition to width and resistivity bias.

Custom automated workflow with expanded Python application programming interfaces (APIs) and Python virtual environments

  • Python console accessible from within ADS to customize workflows and modify workspaces programmatically.
  • Python APIs can be called from ADS AEL.
  • Python AI training module from measured data on Keysight Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for use in nonlinear circuit simulation.

Design and Technology Management

  • The Python console enables users to develop Python scripts to control workflow, modify workspaces, automate design tasks, and customize the user interface.
  • Python virtual environments can be used to manage added Python modules in the ADS environment.
  • Customize Python-based pcell dialog box for pcell evaluation and automated artwork macros for use throughout ADS.
  • New Python APIs for accessing the Keysight Artificial Neural Network (ANN) module for nonlinear circuit modeling.
  • Python APIs can be called from ADS AEL to enhance automation.
ADS Enterprise Workflow
ADS 2023 3D Layout

Design Editing and Layout

  • Move command is improved for better placement precision without showing double ghost images.
  • PCB via instances can be globally updated through a single padstack PCB via definition change.
  • Visualize all PCB via instances with new PCB via layer span preference settings.
  • Multiple ground planes editing enhanced for rounded clearance, remove islands, thermal relief, and degassing.
  • Design Difference enhanced to compare and update net names between layout and schematic.
  • New AEL functions are added for oversize, mirror, group, activate/deactivate instance, path/trace attributes, Boolean operations, stacked via queries, and schematic simulation manipulation to enhance workflow automation.

Design Import/Export

  • ADS Board Link (ABL) import allows BOM attribute and instance prefix value to be specified for customizing item definition creation.
  • Improved Gerber import to support Altium Designer coordinate format attribute.
  • DXF/DWG support new “Holes as slices” format to preserve arcs in exported file.
  • DXF import hatches can be converted to polygons with holes to facilitate EM simulation and connectivity check.
PathWave ADS for Layout
ADS Desktop LVS

Layout Verification

Electrical Rule Check (ERC)

  • ERC Device Temperature from an electro-thermal (ETH) simulation highlights equivalent schematic and layout components even when instance names don’t match.

Layout Versus Schematic (LVS)

  • Improved for perforated conductive shapes (polygons with many small holes).
  • Intelligent LVS selects IC library rule location when pushing into an IC from a multi-technology design.

Data Display

  • Improved plot autoscaling with option for manual trigger for changed calculations.
  • Faster ADS dataset reading and writing.
  • New Python APIs for customizing data display menus, equations, markers and traces.
  • Faster and Enhanced Python data tools for reading and storing data.
  • Supports Touchstone 2.0 and Keysight far field .ffio far field data format.
ADS Data Display Data Analysis Software Screenshot
Circuit Design Software for Amplifer Stability Analysis

Circuit Simulation

  • New Models
    • HICUM/LO 2.1.0
    • Angelov GaN 3.1
    • Support for new TSMC Modeling Interface features.
  • Gain compression takes into consideration nonlinear gain expansion instead of referencing to only small-signal gain. Now gain compression is computed for both small-signal and maximum nonlinear gain.
  • Foundry IP-protected encrypted models previously only for GoldenGate can now be used seamlessly.
  • Keysight Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model generated from Python AI training for use in nonlinear circuit simulation.

Quantum Electronics

Enhanced quantum artwork library with:

  • Distributed loaded coplanar waveguide components for designing traveling wave quantum structures such as the Josephson Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifiers (JTWPAs).
  • Coplanar waveguide junctions and components.
  • Q_Loop for qubit excitation.
  • Josephson Junction models (Dolan & Manhattan) for enhanced fabrication representation.
  • Visual parameter editing for TransmonPocket and TransmonPocket6.
A four qubits circuit in QuantumPro with its corresponding schematic, layout, and extracted quantum parameters
A four qubits circuit in QuantumPro with the computed electric field for a qubit and a resonator along with the corresponding mesh
PathWave High Speed Digital

High Speed Digital (HSD)

  • New Product: PCIe PHY Designer streamlines design and simulation workflow for PCIe applications:
    • PCIe Gen5 and Gen6 (PAM4).
    • Seasim Interface.
    • Root Complex (RC), End Point (EP), and Repeater.
    • PCIe Compliance Tests.
  • USB4V2 Compliance tests for USB4.0.
  • Chiplet PHY Designer – Design Exploration with HTML report.
  • AMI Modeler with AMI sub-model support
  • FoM (Figure of Merit) Compliance in S-Parameter Toolkit.

PIPro

  • ODB++ & IPC-2581 import support negative layers.
  • Component Model Library Tool support for vendor PDKs such as Murata, Samsung, TDK, Vishay and SQLite database for model mapping.
  • AC analysis frequency plan can be resorted, imported/exported in xml format for easy reuse.
  • ADS Open Access layout parameters can be swept.

SiPro

  • IPC 2581 import supports negative layers.
  • ADS Open Access layout parameters can be swept.

EM Simulation

RFPro

  • FEM mesher is enhanced for short edges.
  • Momentum now supports thickness process variation bias in addition to width and resistivity bias.
  • When simulation inputs are unchanged, previous results are efficiently reused without re-simulation.
  • Supports ADS Python Pcells.
  • Area pins with perforation (holes) are supported.
Products Design Software EM Design Empro Composite
PathWave ADS for Power Electronics

Power Electronics

  • Switching Power Losses and Energy Losses added to SMPS Performance Testbench.
  • Shooting transient analysis for fast convergence to time-domain steady state solutions.
  • FEM far field is computed during frequency sweep instead of post processing.
  • Far field is computed without need to store the near field first.
  • SPICE netlist import enhancement with support for additional switch models.

Electrothermal (ETH) Simulation

  • Dynamic ETH circuit envelope and transient simulations are now implemented for design cloud HPC with results saved directly in the client’s ETH directory for offline access.
  • ETH floor planner now supports nested technology, SmartMount and encrypted thermal tech-files.
  • ERC (Electrical Rule Check) supports device temperatures from an electro-thermal (ETH) simulation by highlighting equivalent schematic and layout components.
ADS Electro Thermal Model Generation software screenshot
pathwave-ads-2024

Licensing

  • FlexNet Publisher v11.19.2.3 licensing module now requires licenses to be keyed to Physical Addresses for improved security.
  • No longer support aliased, virtual or removable ethernet devices such as USB network adapters or docking stations. Please contact Keysight Business Support eesof_bs@keysight.com or your local Keysight EDA specialist to request for a license transfer to a physical MAC address if this applies to your installation.
  • Requires version 2024.02 of licensing software, lmgrd and agileeesofd.
  • Requires codeword version 2024.02 or above.
  • License Manager beta support of queuing for the next available license instead of denial when the license limit is reached.

Integration with SystemVue RF System Explorer

New PathWave System Design (SystemVue) RF System Explorer (RFSE) in ADS

  • SystemVue's powerful SpectraSys RF system simulator inside ADS.
  • Performs root cause analysis to identify components causing RF system impairments.
  • Supports vendor system component parts libraries based on measured sys-parameters.
  • Requires a separate SystemVue purchase and installation.

Learn more

W4542E PathWave RF System Explorer in ADS

W4542E RF System Explorer (RFSE) in ADS

Additional resources

EDA Software

PathWave Advanced Design System