System Analysis Knowledge Bytes: SPEEDEM Gets a New Home in Layout Workbench

The System Analysis Knowledge Bytes blog series explores the capabilities and potential of the System Analysis tools offered by Cadence®. In addition to providing insight into the useful features and enhancements in this area, this series aims to broadcast the views of different bloggers and experts, who share their knowledge and experience on all things related to System Analysis.

You must have dealt with moving to a new apartment in a new locality sometime in your life. Well, it can be daunting, isn’t it? But at the same time, there are definite advantages in adjusting to the new ecosystem. Presently, this is exactly the case with Sigrity^TM SPEEDEM^TM technology which has now moved to Layout Workbench!

As you might already know, Sigrity SPEEDEM is a layout-based finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation tool for IC package and/or board analysis with multiple workflows to guide you through the various analysis tasks. It is also uniquely able to perform a broad range of signal integrity, power integrity, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) studies. If you're an ECAD engineer looking to run the transient analysis of the entire IC package and printed circuit board (PCB) designs, then SPEEDEM should be your natural choice. The following figure shows some of the unique features of SPEEDEM:

Now that SPEEDEM is part of Layout Workbench starting from the Sigrity and Systems Analysis 2021.1 HF3 release onwards, your work has become a lot easier. Earlier, it was somewhat difficult for SPEEDEM to exchange the setup information, such as stackup information or power and ground nets definitions along with other package designs and assessment tools. The entire process used to be time-consuming, affecting the overall tool performance when generating the required results within the design delivery deadlines. Read on to know more about the benefits of moving SPEEDEM under Layout Workbench...!

Note: In the blog post System Analysis Knowledge Bytes: Signal, Power, and Thermal Integrity using Layout Workbench, you’ve already seen how Layout Workbench is the best platform to run SI/PI or thermal analysis as it provides a common platform to work with different Sigrity and Systems Analysis tools, and addresses the requirements of the chip, package, and PCB designs.

Accessing SPEEDEM from Layout Workbench

You can continue to use the SPEEDEM Generator (SPDGEN) executable to launch SPEEDEM; however, the application now opens in Layout Workbench by default. Alternatively, you can open Layout Workbench first and use the File – Switch Workflow option to open SPEEDEM, as shown below:

All the workflows related to SPEEDEM appear in the right pane. You can seamlessly switch to the desired workflow with a click of a button. For example, let’s choose EMI Simulation, and click OK. The Layout Workbench GUI now shows EMI Simulation as the active workflow:

New Look-n-Feel of SPEEDEM

The look-n-feel of SPEEDEM is now consistent with other Layout Workbench tools, and as a result, it uses the dark theme by default. The dark theme is particularly useful for users with weak vision and those who are sensitive to bright light. However, if you prefer the light theme, you can select it from the Themes tab in the Options form.

Seamless Integration With Cadence System Analysis Tools

Layout Workbench eliminates the need of using multiple standalone tools separately. It gives designers the flexibility to switch between SPEEDEM and other Sigrity and Systems Analysis tools from within the same interface.

Let’s understand this with the help of an example - in the Switch Workflow dialog box, choose PowerSI from the left pane, select the desired workflow (Model Extraction, in this case) from the right pane, and click OK. The Layout Workbench GUI shows Model Extraction as the active workflow for PowerSI:

Postprocessing Functionalities Migrated into SPEEDEM Generator

In releases prior to Sigrity and Systems Analysis 2021.1 HF3, one had to build and modify the package components and establish simulation parameters in SPEEDEM Generator (SPDGEN) and then run simulation using the SPEEDEM Simulator (SPDSIM) executable. Now, SPEEDEM Generator (SPDGEN) supports the simulation and postprocessing functionalities to analyze, compare, and print the 2D and 3D results of a package simulation. As a result, you no longer need to run the SPDSIM executable separately, which improves the overall user experience.

Improved In-Tool Self Help

SPEEDEM inherits the revamped Help menu from Layout Workbench, which provides a consistent help access experience, and links to a host of useful knowledge resources.

In addition, similar to the other Layout Workbench tools, SPEEDEM now supports help buttons that appear as question marks (?) on the forms. These help buttons enable you to view the relevant help topic for a feature in the Cadence Help window.

Hope the knowledge collateral shared via this blog helps you get a quick overview of the changes made in SPEEDEM in the Sigrity and Systems Analysis 2021.1 HF3 release. Stay with us as we continue to explore what’s new in the world of Cadence Sigrity and Systems Analysis. For information about the most recent enhancements, check the Sigrity and Systems Analysis 2021.1 What's New. Happy reading!

Shreyansh

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