Keysight Technologies introduces Keysight EDA 2024, a fully integrated suite of electronic design automation (EDA) software tools that ensure first-pass success. This new integrated EDA software facilitates a “shift left” approach to increase the productivity of engineers developing high-speed, high-frequency products across multiple applications.
“Shifting left” is an established electrical engineering practice that advances design validation in the development cycle to accelerate time to market.
The increasing complexity of electronic systems requires designers to complete as much validation as possible in the virtual domain, where it is easier and more cost-effective to correct functional and physical problems. Implementing accurate modeling and simulation methodologies that create virtual prototypes and digital twins is essential to dealing with complexity.
An important key to building accurate models and faster simulations is the incorporation of real measurement data into the design and validation process in virtual space.
Keysight EDA 2024 software includes new system and circuit design workflow integration, power amplifier modeling and simulation optimization, and Satcom design evolution improvements. The enhancements expand previously announced software automation, intellectual property, design data management, and simulation acceleration capabilities.
Backed by Keysight measurement science, the new tools provide engineers with a comprehensive solution that accelerates virtual prototyping with highly accurate validation before physical prototypes are built and mass production begins.
The Keysight EDA 2024 software suite offers the following left shift updates:
Simplifying system and circuit design workflows. RF System Explorer integrates system architecture exploration and analysis capabilities from SystemVue with the Advanced Design System (ADS) to enable design sharing between system- and circuit-level workflows. RF System Explorer allocates a hierarchical subsystem and parameters for a circuit designer to change radio frequency (RF) block parameters or select the analysis path without impacting the overall architecture.
Circuit designers can incorporate their circuit design or derived behavioral model into the subsystem allocated for RF verification and optimization.
Connected workflows between SystemVue and ADS allow designers to extract circuit design models and simulate them using RF System Explorer. Streamlined workflows enable more efficient communication between architects and subsystem engineers across enterprise teams. System architects pre-configure their own models in SystemVue for more effective collaboration with their RF circuit design teammates.
Engineering teams also avoid duplicating results visualization in ADS. API-based tool integration maintains an open environment with the option of third-party software connectivity.
Optimizing modeling and simulation of wide bandgap power amplifiers. As well as RF System Explorer workflow integration, the Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD) Explorer and DPD Designer tools optimize power amplifier design methodology at all levels of abstraction. These tools enable power amplifier designers working in wideband applications – including 5G FR2, DVB-S2X and WLAN – to take advantage of a new dynamic gain model that takes into account non-linear memory effects in topologies such as GaN Doherty.
Compact waveforms offer unparalleled simulation speed and DPD optimization that improves the entire power amplifier design and validation process. DPD Explorer and DPD Designer utilize the same science and precise measurement algorithms found in Keysight's PNA-X to ensure high-performance results for Adjacent Channel Power Ratio (ACPR) and Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) metrics .
Evolution of the Satcom design for 5GNTN, DVB-S2X and Phased Array applications. SystemVue enhancements address 5G, DVB-S2X, and phased array non-terrestrial network (NTN) development projects.
For 5G NTN, SystemVue updates the 5G New Radio (NR) simulation library with 1024 QAM modulation for 3GPP Release 17 and associated MCS table. The library supports full end-to-end physical layer system simulation of multiple NTN deployments, a new 5G channel model, and an advanced transceiver. The channel model for NTN provides all the propagation characteristics to model a variety of satellite links. It supports large path delay, large frequency Doppler shift and satellite trajectory visualization.
SystemVue reduces the risk, cost, and time-to-market of testing satellite payload, gateway, and user equipment (UE) receiver designs with 3GPP 38.811 compliant models in simulation. Satcom system engineers can evaluate design performance under various channel compromise conditions in minutes and optimize link closure margins. The comprehensive 5G NTN solution, including Keysight Propsim emulation and Ansys STK interoperability, enables simulation of all orbital parameters, high-speed satellites, high-altitude platforms and long-distance links.
For DVB-S2X, SystemVue connects to Keysight Signal Studio and vector signal analysis (VSA) software tools, enabling designers to create a complete digital twin for digital video satellite transmission.
The integrated solution features a new model for Satcom channel modeling , a user-friendly graphical interface that supports Intuitive parameter setting and navigation, VSA Flex Frame presets designed explicitly for DVB-S2/S2X that accelerate signal analysis, and DVB-S2X source and receiver that support low signal-to-noise ratio and bit error rate. No scripting is required to integrate the SystemVue design environment with signal generation and analysis tools into a unified simulation and testing ecosystem.
For phased array, SystemVue enables quick and easy design capture with efficient simulation of complex systems containing hundreds or thousands of elements and RF paths. SystemVue simulates correlated active impedance with Keysight and third-party finite element method (FEM) simulators. Active impedance simulation is enhanced by the inclusion of X parameters with load and traction data, which increases the accuracy of modeling the interaction between the power amplifiers and the active assembly impedance. Load pull modeling creates the most accurate phased array digital twin, with hardware verified by Keysight instrumentation. SystemVue has also added a new automated MDIF import feature, making it easier to consume, manipulate, interpolate, and slice data such as S-parameters or other model files.
SystemVue's powerful phased array simulation and visualization capabilities provide accurate analysis of the beam directivity pattern and array configuration. Previous insights into key beamforming metrics for optimization and decision making save costs by reducing expensive testing in anechoic chambers. Designers can also confirm array performance through SystemVue integration with Ansys STK for scenarios and Keysight EXata for network simulation.
“Domain context is important as design engineers strive to meet increasing complexity challenges and increase their productivity. The breadth of improvements we've included in Keysight EDA 2024 directly targets our customers' key pain points — faster time to market, first-pass success, automated, integrated and open workflows, and high-speed, high-frequency performance< ” said Niels Faché, Vice President and General Manager of Keysight EDA. “We invest heavily in software R&D to create end-to-end product solutions, spanning design, emulation and testing disciplines, and incorporating our deep workflow knowledge into the early stages of product development.”
