CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
12 July 2004
Product News
Agilent Technologies Announces First Physical Connectivity Engine to Include Interconnects Built into Layout Artwork; Technique Speeds, Streamlines Microwave Design
Agilent Technologies Inc. announced the industry's first physical connectivity engine to incorporate electrical connectivity built into layout artwork. The new engine for Agilent's Advanced Design System (ADS) 2004A electronic design automation (EDA) software helps speed and streamline microwave design for wireless communications products.
"Our new physical connectivity engine takes interconnect verification to a new level," said Joe Civello, product marketing manager at Agilent's EEsof EDA Division. "ADS 2004A opens the entire design process to connectivity checking so that microwave designers will save significant time and improve efficiency."
The physical connectivity engine's breakthrough technique for microwave-based design removes interconnect constraints placed on designers in the form of wires and traces. The engine establishes electrical connections with polygonal layout artwork for multilayered hierarchical designs. Because all polygonal shapes in the layout now carry electrical connectivity information, nodal and physical connectivity checks are possible at any point in the design process.
The physical connectivity engine enables designers to start either in schematic or layout, implement custom-tailored layout interconnects, perform on-the-fly layout interconnect information extraction, and back-annotate custom-tailored interconnects to the schematic. The engine expands the concept of pins to include edges and areas, allowing design kit and component library developers to define edge and area pins that are unique to their layout components, regardless of the component's complexity.
Agilent ADS offers a complete set of system and circuit simulation technology and instrument links for RF and microwave design in a single, integrated design flow. The physical connectivity engine is one of a number of enhancements to the ADS 2004A release that makes it easier to use.
More information about ADS 2004A and the new physical connectivity engine is available at http://www.agilent.com/find/eesof
The physical connectivity engine is available as part of ADS 2004A. Agilent's ADS 2004A is expected to be available in October 2004, with prices starting at approximately $8,400.
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