Showing papers on "Electronic circuit simulation published in 2005"
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: An overview of this topic is given and improvements of the procedure of loss-estimation in power electronic circuit simulations are proposed, which calculates conduction losses and switching losses with minimum effort, high accuracy and does not slow down the numerical simulation.
Abstract: Numerical simulation of junction temperature time behavior in a circuit simulation is performed by setting up thermal models of power semiconductors and cooling systems, and
connecting these models, typically composed of thermal RC-networks, to the calculated power losses. Calculating or estimating accurately conduction losses and, especially, switching losses
has been discussed in the literature but seems to be not well known among many engineers. Therefore, in this paper we will give an overview of this topic and propose improvements of the
procedure of loss-estimation in power electronic circuit simulations. The proposed scheme calculates conduction losses and switching losses with minimum effort, high accuracy and does not
slow down the numerical simulation. It can be embedded directly in any circuit simulator employing ideal switches. Loss calculations are based on datasheet values and/or experimental
measurements. As an example, a 5kW-inverter connected to a drive is set up with each bridge leg realized by a power module, where the characteristic parameters for the loss calculation scheme
are extracted from datasheet diagrams.
226 citations
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose an approach to calculate conduction losses and switching losses with minimum effort, high accuracy and does not slow down the numerical simulation of power electronic circuit simulations.
Abstract: Numerical simulation of junction temperature time behavior in a circuit simulation is performed by setting up thermal models of power semiconductors and cooling systems, and connecting these models, typically composed of thermal RC-networks, to the calculated power losses. Calculating or estimating accurately conduction losses and, especially, switching losses has been discussed in the literature but seems to be not well known among many engineers. Therefore, in this paper we will give an overview of this topic and propose improvements of the procedure of loss-estimation in power electronic circuit simulations. The proposed scheme calculates conduction losses and switching losses with minimum effort, high accuracy and does not slow down the numerical simulation. It can be embedded directly in any circuit simulator employing ideal switches. Loss calculations are based on datasheet values and/or experimental measurements. As an example, a 5kW-inverter connected to a drive is set up with each bridge leg realized by a power module, where the characteristic parameters for the loss calculation scheme are extracted from datasheet diagrams.
174 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a novel fast electromagnetic field-circuit simulator that permits the full-wave modeling of transients in nonlinear microwave circuits is proposed, which is composed of two components: 1) a fullwave solver that models interactions of electromagnetic fields with conducting surfaces and finite dielectric volumes by solving time-domain surface and volume electric field integral equations, respectively, and 2) a circuit solver, which models field interactions with lumped circuits, which are potentially active and nonlinear, by solving Kirchoff's equations through modified nodal analysis.
Abstract: A novel fast electromagnetic field-circuit simulator that permits the full-wave modeling of transients in nonlinear microwave circuits is proposed. This time-domain simulator is composed of two components: 1) a full-wave solver that models interactions of electromagnetic fields with conducting surfaces and finite dielectric volumes by solving time-domain surface and volume electric field integral equations, respectively, and 2) a circuit solver that models field interactions with lumped circuits, which are potentially active and nonlinear, by solving Kirchoff's equations through modified nodal analysis. These field and circuit analysis components are consistently interfaced and the resulting coupled set of nonlinear equations is evolved in time by a multidimensional Newton-Raphson scheme. The solution procedure is accelerated by allocating field- and circuit-related computations across the processors of a distributed-memory cluster, which communicate using the message-passing interface standard. Furthermore, the electromagnetic field solver, whose demand for computational resources far outpaces that of the circuit solver, is accelerated by a fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based algorithm, viz. the time-domain adaptive integral method. The resulting parallel FFT accelerated transient field-circuit simulator is applied to the analysis of various active and nonlinear microwave circuits, including power-combining arrays.
88 citations
24 Oct 2005
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide accurate and efficient models of EDS generators which permit to reproduce the discharge current in the contact mode taking into account the load effect, which is suitable to be implemented in any commercial circuit simulator.
Abstract: The paper provides two accurate and efficient models of electrostatic discharge (ESD) generators which permit to reproduce the discharge current in the contact mode taking into account the load effect. The first model is based on a circuit approach and is suitable to be implemented in any commercial circuit simulator. The second model is based on the numerical solution of the field equations by using the commercial numerical code microwave studio (MWS) based on the finite integration technique. The validation of the proposed circuit and numerical models is carried out by comparison with measurements.
70 citations
TL;DR: A new algorithm based on a SPICE-like simulator that searches for multiple operating points automatically, with no user intervention required, is presented, and is capable of detecting the stability of a particular operating point.
Abstract: A new algorithm based on a SPICE-like simulator that searches for multiple operating points automatically, with no user intervention required, is presented. This algorithm, which exploits the asymmetrical properties of nonlinear mappings that describe multistable circuits, has been implemented into a program which automatically finds multiple (in most cases, all) operating points of a circuit. In addition to finding multiple operating points, this method offers another feature: it is capable of detecting the stability of a particular operating point. Another useful feature of this method is that it allows the user to gauge how close a particular circuit is to possessing multiple operating points. For circuits known to possess multiple operating points, this method allows the user to specify which operating point is encountered first. Unlike other continuation methods, circuit element models are not modified; only augmenting resistors are required. Hence, this approach lends itself well as an "add-on" to existing circuit simulators. A number of circuit examples are given.
61 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based modeling approach for the design of radio frequency microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches is presented, where a finite element method analysis is performed for the switch characterization and for the creation of training and testing sets for the ANN.
Abstract: Artificial neural network (ANN)-based modeling approach for the design of radio frequency microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches is presented. In the proposed methodology, a finite element method analysis is performed for the switch characterization and for the creation of training and testing sets for the ANN. Developed full-wave/ANN models allow for circuit level design, simulation, and optimization in a schematic of a circuit simulator. The simulation time is reduced for two orders of magnitude, while the accuracy of the full-wave method is maintained.
36 citations
TL;DR: The mechanisms and approaches developed for strong correlation between theories and hands-on experimentation using modern computer tools for the purpose of quality education of the laboratory course in electric and electronic circuits are shown.
Abstract: The paper presents the application of information technology (IT) tools to a laboratory course for measurement, analysis, design, and simulation of typical electric and electronic circuits. It shows modern computer data acquisition systems used for measurement of real circuits, mathematical software IT tools used for theoretical analysis and design, and circuit simulation software IT tools used for the development of a virtual laboratory. It illustrates how spreadsheets and other IT tools are used for data recording and/or result comparisons among measurement, theoretical calculation, and simulation. The paper shows the mechanisms and approaches developed for strong correlation between theories and hands-on experimentation using modern computer tools for the purpose of quality education of the laboratory course in electric and electronic circuits.
36 citations
16 Jun 2005
TL;DR: This paper shows the latest development and directions in power electronic simulations and visualization of the simulation results and "freeze and go back" feature is here introduced.
Abstract: This paper shows the latest development and directions in power electronic simulations. One of them is visualization of the simulation results and "freeze and go back" feature is here introduced. As typical power electronics system analyses consist of many aspects and it is multidisciplinary an open interface and integrated approach is often applied. Requirements on the interface for an integrated simulator are given and communication between various tools and its structure is described in the paper and illustrated by many examples
36 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a model for the V/sub T/ shift under constant and variable gate bias has been presented and can be easily represented by circuit elements and incorporated into a circuit simulator.
Abstract: Amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors (TFTs) are widely used in active matrix displays and sensors, in which their operation is typically analog in nature. However, the TFT experiences a V/sub T/ shift with time under gate bias, and the need for a model of the V/sub T/ shift with variable gate bias is imperative for robust circuit design. A model for the V/sub T/ shift under constant and variable gate bias has been presented and agrees with measurement results. The developed model can be easily represented by circuit elements and incorporated into a circuit simulator. As a proof of concept, we use the model to predict the transients of a weighted voltage subtractor circuit.
32 citations
22 May 2005
TL;DR: A web-based electronic circuit simulation system named ECVlab, which combines technologies as rich client technology, XML, and circuit simulation, and provides the user with vivid interface, convenient operation and powerful simulation capability.
Abstract: In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a web-based electronic circuit simulation system named ECVlab. This system combines technologies as rich client technology, XML, and circuit simulation, and provides the user with vivid interface, convenient operation and powerful simulation capability. At the moment, ECVlab has been implemented and successfully applied in an undergraduate course in Zhejiang University and it was evaluated by undergraduate students. Students made statistically significant learning gains as a result of using ECVlab, and rated them positively in terms of improving operation capability, enhancing interests for digital circuit and offering opportunity to inspire innovation and exploration.
23 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a model for the behavioural description of resonant cantilevers for chemical sensing, which is well suited to be implemented in an analog behavioural description language like Verilog-A to enable simulations of the cantilever devices together with integrated electronic circuits.
Abstract: We present a model for the behavioural description of resonant cantilevers for chemical sensing. This model is well suited to be implemented in an analog behavioural description language like Verilog-A to enable simulations of the cantilever devices together with integrated electronic circuits. The model is based on the assumption that the resonant cantilever can be described as a plate, with three free and one clamped end; we suppose the damping force acting on the structure is due to air friction and to the viscoelastic behaviour of the polymer used as sensitive layer. We have validated the model by modal FEM analysis (ANSYS? ) and by measurements with a dynamic signal analyzer (DSA).
Simulations with the Spectre? circuit simulator, including the cantilever device and integrated feedback electronics, have been carried out and show good agreement with the measured transient behaviour of the cantilever devices.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an efficient and systematic approach for transient analysis of hybrid interconnect systems using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to fully characterize the subnetwork of the high-speed interconnects in the form of admittance parameters.
Abstract: This paper presents an efficient and systematic approach for transient analysis of hybrid interconnect systems. The approach uses the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to fully characterize the subnetwork of the high-speed interconnects in the form of admittance parameters. It then uses the admittance parameters to construct a macromodel of the subnetwork by the vector fitting method (VFM). The resulting macromodel is ready to be synthesized into a SPICE-compatible circuit simulator to efficiently expedite the transient analysis of the hybrid system with interconnects and linear/nonlinear lumped circuit elements. Numerical examples show the validity of the method.
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: It is shown that the RFN circuit is expected to be useful for large-scale integrated circuit implementation of functional spiking neural networks since the circuit acts as a coincidence detector and a band-pass filter at a single unit level.
Abstract: [7], [20]. These results imply that additional circuits that have temporal filtering and synchrony detection properties work effectively to increase computational performances of silicon spiking neural networks. In this paper, we propose an analog metal-oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) circuit of a resonate-and-fire neuron (RFN) model [21]. The RFN model is a simple spiking neuron model that exhibits dynamic behaviors observed in biological neurons, such as fast subthreshold oscillation, post-inhibitory rebound, and frequency preference. We implemented the RFN circuit based on the Volterra system [23] to mimic such behavior of the RFN model. By using the circuit simulator, HSPICE, we will show that the RFN circuit is expected to be useful for large-scale integrated circuit implementation of functional spiking neural networks since the circuit acts as a coincidence detector and a band-pass filter at a single unit level.
06 Mar 2005
TL;DR: An accurate physics based model for power PiN diodes is derived and implemented as a subcircuit into the PSPICE circuit simulator as mentioned in this paper, based on an equivalent circuit representation of the base region, obtained by solving the ambipolar diffusion equation with the finite difference method.
Abstract: An accurate physics based model for power PiN diodes is derived and implemented as a subcircuit into the PSPICE circuit simulator The model is based on an equivalent circuit representation of the base region, obtained by solving the ambipolar diffusion equation with the finite difference method Good agreement is obtained by comparing the results of the proposed PiN diode model with experimental and simulated results taken from the literature
TL;DR: It is shown that various scientific problems such as fixed-point problems, linear programming problems, and nonlinear programming problems can be solved by using the circuit simulator SPICE.
Abstract: Path following circuits (PFC's) are circuits for solving nonlinear problems on the circuit simulator SPICE. In the method of PFC's, formulas of numerical methods are described by circuits, which are solved by SPICE. Using PFC's, numerical analysis without programming is possible, and various techniques implemented in SPICE will make the numerical analysis very efficient. In this paper, we apply the PFC's of the homotopy method to various nonlinear problems (excluding circuit analysis) where the homotopy method is proven to be globally convergent; namely, we apply the method to fixed-point problems, linear programming problems, and nonlinear programming problems. This approach may give a new possibility to the fields of applied mathematics and operations research. Moreover, this approach makes SPICE applicable to a broader class of scientific problems.
13 Jun 2005
TL;DR: In this paper, a semiconductor-device model is presented that captures device reverse- recovery and on-state conduction behavior utilizing a time-varying resistance that depends on the solid-state device properties and operating circuit parameters.
Abstract: As pulsed-power systems used to drive EM launchers evolve from laboratory to operational environments, high- power solid-state devices are emerging as the leading switch technology for these systems. These devices, specifically high-power thyristors and diodes, offer the advantages of improved energy efficiency, reduced volume, and reduced auxiliaries over spark-gaps and ignitrons. Proper application of these devices requires understanding of their behavior both during forward conduction and during reverse recovery. The semiconductor device models available in most circuit simulation software packages do not accurately characterize large power thyristors and diodes for thermal management and snubber design. A semiconductor- device model is presented that captures device reverse- recovery and on-state conduction behavior utilizing a time-varying resistance that depends on the solid-state device properties and operating circuit parameters. The information needed to construct this model can be extracted from the device datasheet or obtained from the manufacturer. This circuit model is used to analyze pulsed-power circuits typically used to drive railguns. Of key interest in these simulations are the voltage transients and energy losses in the solid-state devices during the reverse- recovery process. This behavior is analyzed for different circuit element values and device parameters such as peak reverse current, and reverse recovery charge.
18 Sep 2005
TL;DR: The spline-collocation-based non-quasi-static model is extended to include small-geometry effects and to enable both small-Signal and large-signal simulations, which are compatible and consistent with the quasi-static formulation at low frequencies.
Abstract: The spline-collocation-based non-quasi-static model is extended to include small-geometry effects and to enable both small-signal and large-signal simulations. The new NQS model has been implemented into circuit simulators using both SP and PSP models and verified using RF test data. Additional verification is provided by comparison with the results of numerical simulations and with the MM11 channel segmentation method. The large-signal and small-signal simulation results are compatible and consistent with the quasi-static formulation at low frequencies
16 Jun 2005
TL;DR: This project represents the first phase in the development of interactive sites in power electronics education and, three main Web pages are developed for students, instructors and interactive Java Applets.
Abstract: Due to the high nonlinearity and the mathematical complexity of power electronics circuits, their analysis has become more infeasible to describe. Power Electronics Education is a daunting, challenging task and many undergraduate students find it very difficult to grasp the basic concepts of many power electronics circuits and understand their physical and operational modes. In this paper, an interactive power electronics teaching Web site is proposed and, three main Web pages are developed for students, instructors and interactive Java Applets. Interactive online materials are posted for both students and instructors including lecture nodes, simulation problems, examples and exercises, textbook presentations, and online exams. A feedback form is used to get the input of students and instructors on the Web site. Interactive applets are developed for 29 power electronics circuits to help students better understand the circuit behavior under certain circuit parameters variations. Exact steady state waveforms are plotted with flexibility to have students change different circuit parameters and observe the circuit response in an interactive manner. This project represents the first phase in the development of interactive sites in power electronics education. The current Web site is located at www.batarseh.org. Phase two will focus on closed loop response and dynamic modeling, and phase three will emphasize on the system design of power electronic circuits.
TL;DR: In this article, a circuit model for the waveguide photodetector (WGPD), including all parasitics, is presented and a complete circuit simulation of the entire photoreceiver circuit with WGPD now becomes feasible.
Abstract: The waveguide photodetector (WGPD) is considered a leading candidate to overcome the bandwidth/quantum-efficiency tradeoff in conventional photodetectors (PDs). To overcome the tradeoff between the capacitance and contact resistance, the mushroom-WGPD was proposed. A calibrated circuit model for mushroom-WGPD, including all parasitics, is presented so that a complete circuit simulation of the entire photoreceiver circuit with WGPD now becomes feasible. Both the behavior of the PD and its transfer function for the optical-to-electrical response that can be implemented in a circuit simulator are studied to explore the relationships between performance and design/ material parameters. The effects of the parasitics are also studied for different PD areas. The results from this circuit model of the PD have been compared with a published experimental work and a good agreement is obtained. In addition, the characteristics of mushroom-WGPD are studied for the case of an inductor added in series to the load resistor, and better performance is achieved in comparison to the case with no inductor. Based on the studies of different parameters for design and materials, optimization has been performed for the mushroom-WGPD. With this optimization, the optimal values of the thickness of the absorption layer and the added inductor to produce the highest bandwidth of the PD are obtained. These optimizations are performed for different areas of the PD and also for different load resistors, and they result in a significant improvement in the performance of the mushroom-WGPDs.
04 Dec 2005
TL;DR: In this paper, a three-pole low-pass filter is designed using low impedance microstrip line and one DGS section in an equivalent circuit model of a defected ground structure (DGS) is applied to study the characteristics of DGS parameters of the model are extracted from the EM simulation results by matching it to a onepole lowpass filter.
Abstract: A novel three-pole low-pass filter is designed using low impedance microstrip line and one DGS section in this paper An equivalent circuit model of a defected ground structure (DGS) is applied to study the characteristics of DGS Parameters of the model are extracted from the EM simulation results by matching it to a one-pole low-pass filter The lumped element values of the low-pass filter are optimized in circuit simulator by applying the circuit model of DGS It is demonstrated that the filter can provide a sharp rate of attenuation in the stop-band as predicted To further verify this method, a filter using DGS is fabricated measured The comparison between simulation and measurement confirms the effectiveness of the proposed method
16 Jun 2005
TL;DR: In this article, a finite element physics-based punch-through IGBT model is presented, as well as its porting into standard circuit simulator SPICE, which is based on solving the ambipolar diffusion equation (ADE) trough a variational formulation, resulting in a system of ODEs from which charge carrier distribution is obtained.
Abstract: A finite element physics-based punch-through IGBT model is presented, as well as its porting into standard circuit simulator SPICE. Developed model is based on solving the ambipolar diffusion equation (ADE) trough a variational formulation, resulting in a system of ODEs, from which charge carrier distribution is obtained. Implementing the model in a circuit simulator is made by means of an electrical analogy with the resulting system of ODEs. Other parts of the devices are modeled using conventional methods. The paper also discusses a parameter extraction procedure using an optimisation algorithm in order to get an efficient extraction of large number of parameters needed for physics-based IGBT models. Model is validated comparing experimental and simulated results
TL;DR: Effective control-Gate voltage method and ideal current-mirror technique are introduced to calculate floating-gate voltage and allow macro modeling of a Flash memory cell in a circuit simulator.
Abstract: A simple Flash memory cell model for circuit simulation is presented. The proposed model gives an excellent fitting of dc and transient data and does not require additional simulation time comparing with that of a MOSFET transistor. Effective control-gate voltage method and ideal current-mirror technique are introduced to calculate floating-gate voltage. These allow macro modeling of a Flash memory cell in a circuit simulator.
01 Dec 2005
TL;DR: An electrical model directly takes into account the lateral and longitudinal displacements between the external coil (transmitter) and the internal coil (receiver), thus enabling to optimize the voltage gain of the link, and opening to the design of inductive links with high power transfer capabilities and high overall efficiency.
Abstract: This paper presents an innovative modeling method for the mutual inductance of two magnetically coupled coils in an inductive link, ensuring efficient energy and data transmission in implantable electronic devices. An electrical model, which can be used within a circuit simulator, directly takes into account the lateral and longitudinal displacements between the external coil (transmitter) and the internal coil (receiver), thus enabling to optimize the voltage gain of the link, and opening to the design of inductive links with high power transfer capabilities and high overall efficiency.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors have discussed the parameters extraction and electrical characterization in high speed digital interconnection system using layer peeling algorithm and genetic algorithm, which is suitable for reconstructing the physically structures of a nonuniform couple transmission lines.
Abstract: This paper discusses the parameters extraction and electrical characterization in high speed digital interconnection system using layer peeling algorithm and genetic algorithm. Base on the time domain reflection (TDR) measurement, the impedance profile of the device under test (D.U.T) is first derived by layer peeling transmission line synthesis. Then, the genetic algorithm (G.A.) is employed to extract the parameter of the lumped/distributed circuits in high-speed digital circuit. This algorithm is suitable for reconstructing the physically structures of a nonuniform couple transmission lines. The system characteristic can be obtained easily by the extracted model and SPICE circuit simulation software.
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: On-chip variable inductor using MOSFET switches is presented in this paper and simulated results show that inductance varies around 82.3% at 1.6GHz.
Abstract: On-chip variable inductor using MOSFET switches is presented in this paper. Two MOSFET switches and one inverter are used to vary inductance. An EM simulator and a circuit simulator are used to evaluate characteristics of the variable inductor. Simulated results show that inductance varies around 82.3% at 1.6GHz.
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: This paper reports on a pilot research project that investigated the use of a digital circuit simulation software, EasySim, in the study of digital electronics in the first year of an undergraduate engineering course.
Abstract: This paper reports on a pilot research project that investigated the use of a digital circuit simulation software, EasySim, in the study of digital electronics in the first year of an undergraduate engineering course. The ultimate aim of this research, to be completed in 2005, will be to investigate the student experience with such software and its effect on one of their study outcomes (that is their exam results). Students were encouraged to use the tool during their normal learning activities. Those who used the software found it to be helpful. Statistical analysis of exam results for the pilot group indicated a strong relationship between the exam marks obtained and the time spent using the software.
TL;DR: The fundamental hypotheses and the architecture of SPICELib library are discussed, in addition to the modeling of the supported analyses and devices, and a case study is fully developed.
Abstract: SPICELib is an object-oriented model library, written in the Modelica language, that implements some of the modeling and analysis capabilities of the circuit simulator PSpice. A novel approach has been adopted in the SPICELib design. It arises from considering that the reasons behind the success of PSpice include: the quality of the device models, the variety of supported analyses and the good performance of the numerical simulation. As a consequence, SPICELib is conceived to mimic not only the PSpice device models, but in addition PSpice capability to perform a variety of circuit analyses and the PSpice algorithms to calculate the circuit bias point, which is the most problematic analysis from the numerical standpoint. The fundamental hypotheses and the architecture of SPICELib library are discussed, in addition to the modeling of the supported analyses and devices. A case study is fully developed, in order to illustrate SPICELib use and validation. SPICELib version 1.1 (release October 2003) is free sof...
19 Mar 2005
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed an efficient approach for analysis, design, and optimization of two-port radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) resonating structures.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose an efficient approach for analysis, design, and optimization of two-port radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) resonating structures. Methodology utilizes finite element method (FEM) for the prediction of electromechanical responses and fast/accurate mapping with an artificial neural networks (ANNs) technique, toward a final goal - a generic macromodel compatible with modern circuit computer aided design (CAD) tools. Thus, instead of using memory and time demanding full-wave analysis or more extensive and expensive design process using multiple fabrication cycles, a simple yet accurate circuit simulator compatible modeling and optimization procedure is developed.
TL;DR: In this article, a fast and efficient analysis methodology in frequency domain for the design of a power distribution network with a power/ground plane pair, which considers the effect of irregular shape of the power and ground plane and densely populated via-holes is presented.
Abstract: The high speed and low power trend has imposed more and more importance on the design of the power distribution network (PDN) using multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs) for modern microelectronic packages. This paper presents a fast and efficient analysis methodology in frequency domain for the design of a PDN with a power/ground plane pair, which considers the effect of irregular shape of the power/ground plane and densely populated via-holes. The presented method uses parallel-plate transmission line theory with equivalent circuit model of unit-cell grid considering three-dimensional geometric boundary conditions. Characteristics of PDNs implemented by perforated planes including a densely populated via-hole structure is quantitatively determined based on full-wave analysis using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) periodic structure modeling method and full-wave electromagnetic field solver. Using a circuit simulator such as popularly used SPICE and equivalent circuit models for via-hole structure and perforations, the authors have analyzed input-impedance of the power/ground plane pair. Since the presented method gives an accurate and fast solution, it is very useful for an early design of multilayer PCBs.
TL;DR: In this paper, a coupled circuit and electrostatic/mechanical simulator (COSMO) is presented for the design of low phase noise radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs).
Abstract: A new coupled circuit and electrostatic/mechanical simulator (COSMO) is presented for the design of low phase noise radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs). The numerical solution of device level equations is used to accurately compute the capacitance of a MEMS capacitor. This coupled with a circuit simulator facilitates the simulation of circuits incorporating MEMS capacitors. In addition, the noise from the MEMS capacitor is combined with a nonlinear circuit-level noise analysis to determine the phase noise of RF MEMS VCO. Simulations of two different MEMS VCO architectures show good agreement with experimentally observed behavior.