Circuit Simulation: General techniques

Mahesh B. Patil

Department of Electrical Engineering

IIT Bombay

mbpatil@ee.iitb.ac.in

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 Circuit Simulation

 DC analysis
 transient (time-domain) analysis
 AC (frequency-domain) analysis
 logic-level simulation
 mixed-signal simulation
 noise computation
 periodic steady state computation
 sensitivity

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 Nodal Analysis (NA)

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 Modified Nodal Analysis (MNA)

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 MNA: CCCS example

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 SPICE input file: example

V1 1 0 10
R1 1 2 1.5k
R2 2 0 1k

 How many nodes?

 Do we need extra variables (e.g., voltage sources)?

 Assemble the system matrix.

 Solve.

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 Sparse Tableau Approach (STA)

 Variables: node voltages, branch currents, and

branch voltages
 No need for special treatment of voltage
sources or any other elements
 Easier to implement as compared to MNA

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 Sparse Tableau Approach:
Example

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 Time step control in transient simulation

 Rapid changes in voltages/currents require small time steps

 At other times, larger time steps should be allowed, in the
interest of faster simulation
 Two popular methods:
(a) methods based on local truncation error
(b) methods based on convergence of N-R iterations

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 Time step control (convergence of N-R):

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 Digital Circuits: “Event-driven Simulation”

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 Digital Circuits: event-driven simulation

 Is there an “event” at any of the inputs?

 Does it require a change in the output(s)?
 How long will it take for the output to change? (What is
the delay?)

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 Digital Circuits: event-driven simulation

 Computationally much simpler than electrical circuits

(since it involves only assignments, as opposed to
solving of equations)
 Less accurate because it does not give detailed waveforms
of voltages/currents.
 Power information is not directly available.

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 VLSI Circuits

 Since exact (analog) simulation takes too much time,

it is limited to 1,000-2,000 transistors.
 In practice, standard cells are simulated and the delay
values are extracted for various conditions (inputs,
capacitive load, etc)
 The delay values are used to perform event-driven
simulation of larger circuits, esp. critical paths..

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
 Mixed (Analog-Digital) Circuits

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay
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 Thank You!

M.B.Patil, IIT
Bombay