Browsing by Author "Roca, E."
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- Layout-Aware Challenges and a Solution for the Automatic Synthesis of RadioFrequency IC BlocksPublication . Martins, R.; Lourenço, N.; Póvoa, R.; Canelas, A.; Horta, N.; Passos, F.; Castro López, R.; Roca, E.; Fernández, F.In this paper, the major methodologies proposed in the last years to speed-up the synthesis of radio-frequency integrated circuits blocks are overviewed. The challenges to automate this task are discussed, and, to avoid non-systematic iterations between circuit and layout design steps, the architecture of an innovative solution is proposed. The proposed tool exploits the full capabilities of most established computer-aided design tools available nowadays, i.e., off-the-shelf circuit simulator, electromagnetic simulator and layout extractor. The approach intends to bypass the two major bottlenecks of RF-design: the design of reliable integrated inductors and accurate layout parasitic estimates since the early stages of design process.
- New Mapping Strategies for Pre-Optimized Inductor Sets in Bottom-Up RF IC Sizing OptimizationPublication . Lourenço, N.; Martins, R.; Póvoa, R.; Canelas, A.; Horta, N.; Passos, F.; Castro López, R.; Roca, E.; Fernández, F.This paper presents new indexing and mutation operators, in the context of bottom-up hierarchical multi-objective optimization of radio frequency integrated circuits, for pre-optimized sets of solutions from the hierarchical sub-levels when moving up in hierarchy. Two ideas, one based on a Voronoi decomposition and another based on the nearest neighborhood, are explored, where, and unlike previous approaches that are based on sorting, the distance between elements determines the probability of decisions taken during optimization. Three implementations of those ideas were tried in AIDA's NSGAII evolutionary kernel, and successfully used in the optimization of a Voltage Controlled Oscillator and a Low Noise Amplifier with pre-optimized inductor sets obtained using the SIDeO toolbox, showing their strengths when compared to previous state-of-the-art mapping strategies.
- Systematic Design of a Voltage Controlled Oscillator using a Layout-Aware ApproachPublication . Passos, F.; Castro Lópes, R.; Roca, E.; Fernándes, F.; Martins, R.; Lourenço, N.; Póvoa, R.; Canelas, A.; Horta, N.This paper focuses on the systematic design of voltage controlled oscillators (VCO), a commonly used radiofrequency (RF) electronic circuit. RF circuits are among the most difficult analog circuits to design due to its trade-offs and high operation frequencies. At such operation frequencies, layout parasitics and accurate passive component characterization become of upmost importance, causing re-design iterations if they are not considered by the designer. To avoid this problem, and reduce the design time, this paper presents a systematic design of a VCO, entailing layout parasitics and accurate characterization of passive components from early design stages. Results clearly illustrate the benefit of this strategy.