Lab 1

Introduction to Cadence Analog Design Flow

1. Introduction
This lab is a tutorial on Cadence Virtuoso, which is the simulation tool we will use for the rest of
the training. The official program name is Virtuoso, but the common name among users is just
Cadence. We will the name Cadence in this training. The deadline for submitting the lab
worksheet is before starting the next lab. You can work on the Cadence tutorial part on your own
before or after the lab, but it is a good idea to start before the lab and ask the TA during the lab if
you have questions.

2. Cadence Tutorial
2.1. Cadence Setup and Launch
To set up Cadence on your instructional account, navigate to your home directory (you can do
this by typing cd ~).

Run only once:

After connecting open a terminal and run:
~ee105/sp2017/[Link]

This script will create a folder named cadence_files in your home directory, where your
designs will be stored. The script will add the Cadence libraries that you'll need in this class to
the program setup.

If you'd like to create a folder with a different name, run:

~ee105/sp2017/[Link] folder_name

To run the program:

Open a new terminal, navigate to the folder you just made, and run:
source cadence_setup
virtuoso &
2.2. Cadence overview
After opening Cadence, you'll see the main window:

Go to Tools->Library Manager, it should open the following window:

The hierarchy in Cadence is:

Library (left side) -> Cell (middle) -> View (right).
A library contains multiple cells, and each cell contains multiple views.

The libraries that we will use in this class are:

analogLib - the basic analog components (resistors, capacitors, voltage and current sources,
etc)

The views that we will use for each cell are:

 schematic - the actual circuit, the components and interconnections
 symbol - the appearance of the cell in another schematic view
Creating a new Library
To create a new library, to do this, go to the library manager and click File→ New→ Library.
A new window will pop up. Type “lab0” in the name field and press OK.

At this point, Cadence will prompt you for something called a Technology File. Select to
“Attach to an existing technology library” The technology file is collection of information and
libraries that define the layers and devices available for a given process technology.

For this class, we will not use any technology file. Therefore, go ahead and choose „Do not need
process information.‟
Creating a new schematic
To create a new schematic design:
Click on the cadence_files library in the Library Manager
File -> New -> Cell View
A new window pops up, but it may be at the background:

This is a general tip in Cadence - if you expect a window to open and it's not there, check the
taskbar.
We will give it a name "tutorial", the type should be "schematic". Note that you can make cells
in any available library by choosing proper one from „Library‟ (if you have permission to edit).
Click OK. The following window will open:

Click "Always" to avoid getting this message later. The schematic window will open:

This is the main window where we'll draw our circuit. Generally we won't use the menus, but
keyboard shortcuts.

Adding components
To add an element, click "i". The following window will appear:
You can type the library, cell and view names, or click Browse:
Select "analogLib" library, "res" cell and "symbol" view. Another window will open:

Here you specify the parameters of the component. A resistor has a single parameter
(resistance), change it to 20kΩ.

In Cadence you don't have to write the units (Ohms, volts, etc). For the resistance, type 20k
and hit Tab. The Ohms will be automatically completed. The useful prefixes in Cadence are
single letters: p - pico, n - nano, u - micro, m - milli, k - kilo, M - mega, G – giga.

Click on the schematic window to place the resistor.

The useful components in the analogLib library are:

res Resistor
cap Capacitor
gnd Ground
vdc/idc DC DC voltage/current source
vsin/isin Sinusoidal voltage/current source
vpulse/ipulse Square-wave voltage/current source
Now add another resistor of 10kΩ. Click "Rotate" to make it horizontal and place it on the
schematic:

Your schematic should look like this:

Adding wires and labels
To connect the resistors with a wire, click "w". Click on the first terminal to connect, and
then on the second terminal. Click Esc. Now you have the following schematic:

To create a wire label, click "l" (lowercase L). Type out and click on the wire. Click Esc. Now
you have the following schematic:

Labels can be used to connect nodes. If you want to connect two nodes in your circuit, you can
give them the same label, without connecting them with a wire. It is usually useful for large
circuits, to reduce the number of wires. Labels are also useful for output expressions, as we will
see later.
Other useful shortcuts
 Components - click on the desired component, then click:
o c - copy component
o m - move component (preserves the wire connections)
o Shift+M - move component (without the wire connections)
o q - edit component properties (same window as the add component window)
 f - fits the circuit to fit the screen
 mouse scroll - zoom in and out
 z - selects area to zoom
 Shift+X - check and save.

Check that all nodes are connected properly. If you have errors, you have to fix them to
simulate the circuit. You can run simulations if you have warnings. Pay attention to the
warnings, usually they indicate a problem in your circuit, like unconnected nodes.

3. DC simulation - resistive divider

Add a DC voltage source and grounds to create the resistive divider circuit shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Resistor circuit to build

You should get the following schematic:

Click Shift+X to check and save your schematic.

To open the simulation window, click Launch -> ADEL. You will see the following window:

Click "Always" to avoid getting this message later.

The ADE window will open:

The Analysis box - specifying the simulation type

In the Analysis box: right click -> Edit.

Here we select the different simulation types for our schematic. The useful simulations in our
class are:

 dc - DC simulation. Only DC sources are used, and the results are DC voltages and DC
currents. This is in general a non-linear analysis (unless we only have linear components,
like in our case).
 ac - AC simulation. This is a linear phasor analysis of the circuit. The simulation result
is a phasor (magnitude and phase) of the voltages and the currents in our circuit. We can
use it to calculate the transfer function from the input to the desired output. Here we
define the frequency range to perform the simulation.
 tran - transient simulation. This is a non-linear time-domain simulation. The
simulation results is a time-domain waveform of the voltages and the currents in our
circuit.
In this part of the tutorial we will perform a DC simulation. Select dc, and check "Save DC
operating point":

Click OK.

The Outputs box - specifying the simulation outputs

After performing the simulation we should specify the results that we are interested in.
In the Outputs box: right click -> Edit.
In the Name section type: out_dc
In the Expression section, type: VDC("/out"):

Click OK.
We created an output expression named "out_dc" for the DC voltage at the node "out".

A very useful tool in Cadence for the output expressions syntax is the calculator. In the main
ADE window: Tools -> Calculator. At the bottom you have a list of the various functions that
can be performed on the simulation results. If you are not sure about the command syntax, the
Calculator is a very useful place to start.
The syntax for the output expressions is:

VDC/IDC DC voltage/current (dc analysis)

VF/IF AC voltage/current (ac analysis)
VT/IT Transient voltage/current (tran analysis)

For voltage outputs, the syntax is VDC ("/node_name"). For current output, the syntax is
IDC ("/component_name/terminal name").
In our circuit to see the terminal name of the 20k resistor connected to "out", click on it (the red
square) and press q.

You will see the following window:

So the component name is R0 and the terminal name is PLUS. For the output DC current
through this node add the following output expression: IDC ("/R0/PLUS"):
Another option is to click on idc in the Calculator, and then click on the resistor terminal.

To save your simulation setup: Session -> Save State. At the top change to "Cellview":

Click OK. It will a view named "spectre_state1" in the "tutorial" cell.

Click the "play" button to perform the simulation. You should see the simulated DC voltage
and current at the Value column. Add the screenshot of the ADE window with the simulated
result to your lab worksheet.
 A- Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL)
1. Introduction:
” The algebraic sum of all voltages in a loop must equal zero”
The algebraic mean accounts for signs (polarities) as well as magnitudes. A
loop means any path traced from one point in a circuit around to other points in
that circuit, and finally back to the initial point.
2. Experiment:
1- Connections are made as shown in Fig.1
2- Measure voltages, and currents across the resistors R1, R2, and R4.

Figure 1: KCL configuration

R1 R2 R4 Total
Volts
Amps
Ohms 20 KΩ 200 KΩ 10 Ω
3. Simulation procedures:
 Draw schematic:
 Check and save

 Lunch => ADE XL

 Create New View => OK

 Cell => “KVL” => OK

 Click “Tests” => Cell Name “KVL” => OK

 Analysis => dc
 Save DC Operating Points => DC Analysis
 Annotate => DC Operating Points
 The Result

B- Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL)

1. Introduction
” The algebraic sum of all currents entering and exiting a node must equal zero”
That is, if we assign a mathematical sign (polarity) to each current, denoting
whether they enter (+) or exit (-) a node, we can add them together to arrive at a
total of zero, guaranteed.
Taking our example node (number N1), we can determine the magnitude of the
current exiting from the left by setting up a KCL equation with that current as
the unknown value:
I1 + I2 + Ix = 0

Ix
 2. Experiment:
1- Connections are made as shown in Fig.2.
2- Measure , , and .

Figure 2: KCL Configuration

R1 R2 R3 Total
Volts 6 6 6 6
Amps
Ohms 1 KΩ 3 KΩ 2 KΩ

1. Simulation procedures:
 Draw schematic:
 Check and save

 Lunch => ADE XL

 Create New View => OK

 Cell => “KCL” => OK

 Analysis => dc
 Save DC Operating Points => DC Analysis
 Annotate => DC Operating Points

 The Result
 Assignment 1
Calculate the current through each resistor and the voltage across each
resistor within the following circuit.
 Advanced Assignment of Lab 1
 Design a simple step-down regulator contains of 6 resistors to can
convert 120v to 40volts for an electronic device work with
200watts,
Let :
 Resistive load=8 ohm.
 Use this equations :-
V=I * R [Ohm‟s Low] , Power =V * I.
 Create a symbol for your system using Cadence Virtuoso as shown
in figure 1.

Figure 3 Step-down Regulator