On Tuesday I met with Richard Shi, Ph.D.,Chairman and CTO of Orora Design Technologies.

This company offered the 1st – optimizer and analog synthesis tool.

They showed me three tools for use by analog design engineers.

Arana – Behavioral model generator (dial in the percentage accuracy needed)

–          Bottom up generator (RTL extractor, algebraic reduction)

–          Top down generator (like Excel spreadsheet input, create Verilog A netlist, template matching), user defined template matching

–          Validation environment (help automate test bench creation)

–          Creates Verilog A, Verilog AMS, Verilog models

–          Inputs: Netlist or Cadence db, OA

–          Optionally optimize your model

–          Ask for inputs, outputs (digital or analog)

Arche – Arana input (Beta)

–          Creates data sheet verification report

–          Re-use testbenches

–          Read waveforms and check against spec

–          Verify electrical rules

Arsyn – Used for five years, circuit synthesis

–          Optimization, creates an optimized circuit design

–          Automated design and re-use platform

–          Example: DARPA did a ADC, DAC, 600 transistors (5X faster design time, doubled the yield)

–          Pricing not disclosed

Arphy – next year tool

–          Layout synthesis

Partner Programs – Cadence, Mentor, Synopsys

Mission – automate analog and ams design

Customers – 20 now

Demo – invoke arana from virtuosos GUI (also own gui)

–          Model methods (bottom up, structural, functional, template, algebra)

–          PLL example with several blocks

–          Define which blocks are bottom up

–          How to validate each model?

–          User provides: pin name, pin direction, discipline (electrical or logic), function (V, I, Vdd, Vss, large, small signal)

–          Also generate the analog test bench to simulate my models

–          User defines how many parameters to use, how many PVT corners to use

–          Validation manager: original stimulus from CDN, run spice on netlist versus

–          Which simulators? Any tool (Spectre, Ultrasim, HSPICE, Nanosim)

–          Output comparisons of spice versus Verilog A, show % differences.