How to Simulate an RF Circuit
Validating design performance using RF simulation
Design engineers characterize RF designs by simulating the complete characteristics of components, such as amplifiers, filters, mixers, and passive devices. Use RF simulation software to enter the schematic by interconnecting the components' inputs and outputs and defining the input signal source and output load condition. Typically, the output load matches the system’s output impedance.
A common simulation application is to characterize the phase noise of the circuit, as this increases the error rate in vector-modulated signals. Measure the phase noise by sweeping the input signal frequency to span the bandwidth and setting the carrier frequency. Select the phase noise spectrum as the analysis type. The simulation software plots a graph showing the phase noise versus frequency, where the unit of phase noise is dBc. Achieve an optimal design choice by iteratively running the simulation using different components.
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