With this design flow, Microwave Office users can readily access HFSS for analysis of EM fields and coupling of 3-D structures like passive components, bumps, bond wires, and pins which are essential to successfully designing and realizing microwave circuits like monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), densely-populated RF circuit boards and multifunction modules.
The link between the two software tools is leveraged from AWR’s innovative EM Socket™ open standard interface, which enables AWR users to access a broad range of electromagnetic (EM) tools from within the Microwave Office design environment. The EM Socket architecture also allows AWR Microwave Office users to essentially simulate EM structures with a single mouse click using either AWR’s AXIEM® 3D planar method of moments solver or Analyst™ 3D finite element method EM software.
In addition to enabling ANSYS HFSS 3D EM simulation capabilities from within the NI/AWR Design Environment, the connection allows the resulting 3D layered format exported from the EM Socket interface to connect to the ANSYS multiphysics portfolio. That suite includes ANSYS SIwave® for signal/power integrity analysis and ANSYS Icepak® for thermal characterization.
“This dynamic combination of two industry-leading applications is exactly what our customers have been asking for,” said Larry Williams, director of product management at ANSYS. “ANSYS has revolutionized the simulation of 3-D electromagnetics while AWR is a world leader in microwave circuits. I’m confident that this new offering will help our joint customers create exciting new products that will amaze the market.”
“Collaborating with third-party firms to expand both the breadth and depth of technology available within the NI AWR Design Environment has been a mainstay of our product offering,” said Sherry Hess, vice-president of marketing at AWR. “The ease with which our Microwave Office customers can now access HFSS technology will indeed be very welcome news.”