Simulator leaps to 64 bits

Better accuracy, higher capacity, and quicker results are promised with a 64-bit version of Agilent Technologies Inc.'s Momentum 3-D planar electromagnetic simulator software. Offered with the company's Advanced Design System (ADS) and rf design environment (rfde) software packages, Momentum helps designers accurately characterize and improve passive circuit performance. Momentum accepts arbitrary design geometries, including multilayer structures, to accurately characterize complex coupling and parasitic effects.

The 64-bit version typically halves electromagnetic simulation and verification time by punching through the memory limitations of conventional PC-based 32-bit simulators; limitations that can preclude complex designs or result in poor performance and costly rounds of prototyping.

This latest version contains new iterative solver technology to quickly process large designs and verifications. As a result, up to eight-fold improvements in speed have been clocked for simulations of large interconnect, packaging, and antenna array structures. The new version also wields a 3-D metal interconnect modeling technique that characterizes horizontal as well as vertical currents on all sides of metal interconnects.

As for ADS, it comprises a complete set of system and circuit simulation features and instrument links for RF and microwave designs. RFDE is RF design automation software that tightly links ADS's RF simulator to Virtuoso, analog and mixed-signal design environment from cadence design systems Inc.

The 64-bit version of Momentum is offered as part of ADS 2005A, whose price starts at around $8,000, and RFDE 2005, which starts at around $16,000. It is expected to be available this September.

- Gil Bassak

eeProductCenter