Accelerating RFIC EM Analysis with EMX Planar 3D Solver in Virtuoso HI Platform

In modern IC design, especially with the rise of heterogeneous integration, electromagnetic (EM) analysis is critical for ensuring signal integrity, performance, and reliability. Cadence’s Virtuoso Heterogeneous Integration (Virtuoso HI) platform, combined with the EMX Planar 3D Solver, offers a powerful, layout-aware EM simulation environment directly within the Virtuoso design flow—so you can analyze, optimize, and iterate faster, without ever leaving your environment.

What Virtuoso HI Brings to Your Workflow

Virtuoso HI is a versatile design environment that integrates various design and analysis tools into a single platform. Virtuoso HI simplifies your design process by unifying schematic capture, layout, and verification across chip, interposer, and package domains. This integration is essential for managing the complexities of modern RF designs, which often involve multiple technologies and design domains.

The design flow of the Virtuoso HI across chip and package is shown below:

As illustrated in the flowchart above, the Virtuoso HI platform integrates the Virtuoso Multi-Technology and Virtuoso electromagnetic flows.

1. Virtuoso Multi-Technology: It is Cadence’s multi-technology layout and co-design environment. This environment allows you to simultaneously work across silicon, interposer, package, and board technologies in a unified layout canvas, making it ideal for SiPs, chiplets, and 2.5D/3D ICs.

Key Features of Virtuoso Multi-Technology:

• Multi-Technology Integration: Co-design across chip, package, and board domains in a single environment.
• Cross-Domain Layout Editing: Unified editing and alignment of different technology layers with shared references.
• Technology-Aware DRC/LVS: Applies domain-specific design rules and verification checks for each technology.
• Support for 2.5D/3D ICs: Enables advanced packaging with TSVs, interposers, and stacked-die integration.Hierarchical Design Reuse: Promotes modular design and reuse of IP blocks and chiplets across projects.

2. Virtuoso Electromagnetic Solver Integration: It is Cadence’s electromagnetic simulation environment integrated within the Virtuoso platform. It enables layout-aware, full-wave EM analysis of RF and high-speed analog designs using the EMX Solver. It helps you model parasitic effects, coupling, and signal integrity directly from the layout.

Key Features of Virtuoso EM:

• EMX Solver Integration: High-performance, full-wave 3D planar EM solver optimized for RFICs and analog designs.
• Layout-Aware Simulation: Direct simulation of real layout geometries without needing external exports.
• Multiple Simulation Modes: Supports full cellview, XL-based, and LVS-based simulations for flexible analysis.
• 3D Current Visualization: Interactive visualization of current density and EM fields to identify hotspots and coupling.
• Back-Annotation to Schematic: Automatically generates models for Spectre circuit-level simulation.

This blog focuses on EM simulations using EMX Solver, within the Electromagnetic Solver assistant in Virtuoso HI.

EM Simulation Workflow Using the EMX Solver in Virtuoso HI

The workflow for performing EM simulations using the EMX Solver in Virtuoso HI is as follows:

1. Start with Your Layout in Virtuoso Layout Suite: Begin by creating or importing your layout—whether it’s for a chip, package, or interposer—using the Virtuoso Layout Suite. This is your foundation for accurate, layout-aware EM analysis.
2. Launch the EMX Solver via Electromagnetic Solver assistant: Next, open the EM Solver Assistant. This is your control center for setting up the simulation environment. It’s intuitive and integrated, so you don’t need to leave Virtuoso.
3. Choose Your Simulation Scope: Now, decide how much of your design you want to simulate. You’ve got three flexible options:
   • Full Cellview: Simulate the entire layout—ideal for comprehensive analysis.
   • XL-Based: Focus on a specific hierarchy or block that’s XL-compliant.
   • LVS-Based: Use LVS-clean views with black boxing for selective, efficient simulation.

4. Apply Shape Simplification (if required): To speed things up without sacrificing accuracy, simplify non-critical layout features. This step helps reduce simulation time while keeping essential EM behavior intact.
5. Run the EM Simulation: With everything set, run the full-wave EM simulation using the EMX Solver. You’ll extract key data like S-parameters, RLGC models, and parasitic effects—all crucial for high-performance RFIC design.
6. Visualize 3D Currents: Use the built-in 3D viewer to explore current density, coupling, and potential hotspots. This visual feedback helps you quickly identify and resolve EM issues.
7. Back-Annotate to Your Schematic: Once your models are ready, automatically back-annotate them into your schematic. This ensures your circuit-level simulations reflect real-world EM behavior.
8. Run Circuit-Level Simulation: Finally, you run the Spectre simulation on your circuit with the EM-accurate models in place. You’re now ready to validate performance with confidence.

Choosing the Right EM Model for Your Design

The three models available for EM simulation using EMX in Virtuoso HI (as listed in the above section) are:

1. Full Cellview Model:

• No XL compliance needed
• Supports blackboxing
• Ideal for full-layout simulations

2. XL-Based model:

• Targets specific nets/instances
• Ensures schematic-layout alignment

 3. LVS-Based model:

• Uses the Quantus Smart View Output
• No XL compliance required
• Combines parasitic and EM data

Designing RFICs or complex heterogeneous ICs often involves juggling multiple tools for layout, simulation, and verification, slowing down your workflow and increasing the risk of errors. With the EMX Solver fully integrated into the Virtuoso HI platform, everything you need is in one place—streamlined, connected, and built to keep your design process efficient and error-free. This unified flow helps you design faster, simulate smarter, and validate with confidence. 

For more details, navigate to the training: Virtuoso Heterogeneous Integration: EM Analysis of ICs Using the EMX Solver

How to Enroll

This link gives you more information regarding this course, and the link to enroll: Virtuoso Heterogeneous Integration: EM Analysis of ICs Using the EMX Solver

This course includes slides, audio instruction, and downloadable lab exercises, in line with the lecture content.

Training is also available as "Blended" or "live"

Earn Your Badge

This training has a Digital Badge. You can earn this badge by passing the exam for this course.

You can become Cadence Certified once you complete the course and share your knowledge and certifications on social media channels. Go straight to the course exam at the Cadence ASK and Learning portal.

Note: Some of the above links are accessible only to Cadence customers who have a valid login ID for the Cadence ASK and learning portal.

Do You Have Access to the Cadence ASK Portal?

If not, follow the steps below to create your account.

• On the Cadence ASK portal, select Register Now and provide the requested information on the Registration page.
• You will need an email address and host ID in order to sign up.
• If you need help with registration, contact ask@cadence.com.

To stay up-to-date with the latest news and information about Cadence training and webinars, subscribe to the Cadence Training emails.

If you have questions about courses, schedules, online, public or live onsite training, reach out to us at Cadence Training.

Related Resources