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Getting Started with ADE Explorer

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Introducing Virtuoso ADE Explorer

Virtuoso® ADE Explorer provides a single-testbench platform that you can use to define the simulation settings and run simulations based on the specified settings. You need to specify the following essential settings in the Virtuoso® ADE Explorer Setup before running a simulation—design variables, temperature, simulator, analysis, model files, and other setup files. You can also define the various outputs that are to be saved or plotted during a simulation run. By default, Spectre simulator is used to run simulations in ADE Explorer; however, you can choose other simulators as well, such as HSPICE, AMS, UltraSim.

When you run a simulation, the results are saved in a predefined formats and can be used by other tools such as the Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL for further analysis. If there are signals in the simulation results, they are by default plotted in the Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL Graph window.

Virtuoso® ADE Explorer is a part of the Virtuoso Design Framework II (DFII) environment, which is the foundation on which a wide range of Cadence tools are built. Using this architecture, you can go from one tool to another without tedious data conversion. The consistent user interface makes it convenient to apply your knowledge of one Cadence tool to many other Cadence tools. The design framework II environment is an open system. You can integrate third party tools and enter your own design data with industry-standard EDIF and Virtuoso® GDSII Stream formats. Circuit simulators can be integrated using OSS.

The Virtuoso® ADE Explorer provides the following key features:

• Consistent user-interface
• Display and analyze simulation outputs
• Real-time tuning of design
• View annotations
• Create, view, and run corners
• Add, view, and run specifications for outputs
• Set up and run sweeps
• Set up and run Monte Carlo simulation
• Perform device checks
• Define and run assertions

This chapter describes the following features that you can use to simulate the analog design using ADE Explorer:

• Opening Virtuoso ADE Explorer
• Virtuoso ADE Explorer Graphical User Interface
• Switching Between ADE Explorer and ADE Assembler

Licensing Requirements

The Virtuoso ADE Explorer requires one of the following licenses in the given order of precedence:

• 95250, Virtuoso ADE Explorer
• 95260, Virtuoso ADE Assembler

For information about licensing in the Virtuoso Studio design environment, see Virtuoso Software Licensing and Configuration Guide.

Opening Virtuoso ADE Explorer

When you open the Virtuoso ADE Explorer for the first time, you first need to create a new maestro cellview to open your design in Explorer.

You can use one of the following methods to create maestro cellview and open ADE Explorer:

• Opening ADE Explorer From CIW
• Opening ADE Explorer From Virtuoso Schematic Editor
• Opening ADE Explorer Using Schematic Editor Workspace
• Virtuoso ADE Explorer Graphical User Interface

Opening ADE Explorer From CIW

Follow the steps listed below to create a new or open an existing maestro view through Command-Interpreter Window (CIW):

1. In CIW, choose Tools – ADE Explorer. The Launch ADE Explorer form appears.
   
   
2. In this form, select the Create New View option if you are opening ADE Explorer for the first time. If you already have an maestro (ADE Explorer) view setup, select Open Existing View.
   
   You can also open a design saved in Analog Design Environment L (ADE L) in Explorer. For more information, see Appendix E, “Migrating From ADE L to ADE Explorer”.
   When you choose to create a new view, the Create new ADE Explorer view form appears as shown below.
   
   
   By default, the Application drop-down displays ADE Explorer as the application name; however, if you have the Assembler license, you can also select Assembler from this drop-down list to launch the design in Assembler.
3. Click OK. The Choose Design – – ADE Explorer form appears as shown below.
   
   
4. In this form, specify the library, cell name and view name. Also, specify whether you want to open the ADE Explorer in read or edit mode.
5. Click OK. The Virtuoso ADE Explorer window appears as shown below. You can now set up and run simulations for this design.
   
   
   In addition, a What’s New in Virtuoso ADE Explorer window appears when you open ADE Explorer for the first time in a given session.
   
   

This window highlights the main features of ADE Explorer, such as real-time tuning mode, seamless interaction of ADE Explorer with ADE Assembler, and support for Monte Carlo analysis and Corners. You can click the Learn More hyperlinks provided within this window to know more about the specific features.

If you do not want to display this window next time when ADE Explorer is re-opened, select the Do not show this again check box displayed at the bottom. Click the Close button to close the window.

After the new maestro view is created, the maestro view is displayed in the View section of the Library Manager form in CIW:

You can save the current session settings by choosing Session – Save in ADE Explorer. The maestro view is saved. Next time, you can also open ADE Explorer through Library Manager by choosing the library, cell and double-clicking the maestro view.

Opening ADE Explorer From Virtuoso Schematic Editor

Follow the steps listed below to create a new maestro view and open Virtuoso ADE Explorer through the schematic window:

1. Open a design in the Virtuoso Schematic Editor window through the following CIW option:
   • Choose Tools – Library Manager. The Library Manager form appears. Select a library, a cell, and double-click the schematic view.
   
   The Virtuoso Schematic Editor L window appears as shown below.
   
   
2. In the Schematic window, choose Launch – ADE Explorer to open Virtuoso ADE Explorer. The Launch ADE Explorer form appears as shown in the figure below.
   
   
3. In this form, select the Create New View option if you are opening ADE Explorer for the first time. If you already have a maestro (ADE Explorer) view set up, select Open Existing View. When you choose to create a new view, the Create new ADE Explorer view form appears as shown below.
   
   
4. In this form, notice that the view type is already specified as maestro and the application type as ADE Explorer. You can specify whether you want to create a new tab in the Schematic Editor, replace the existing Schematic tab or create a new window to open ADE Explorer.
5. Click OK.
   The Virtuoso ADE Explorer window appears as shown below and the simulation environment is initialized for the design that is already open in Virtuoso Schematic Editor. You can now set up and run simulations for this design. Notice that a separate tab, maestro, has been added for ADE Explorer indicating that the new tab option was selected at the time of creating the maestro cellview.
   
   

Opening an Existing maestro View from Virtuoso Schematic Editor

To open an existing maestro view from Virtuoso Schematic Editor:

1. Choose Launch – ADE Explorer.
   The Launch ADE Explorer form is displayed.
2. In this form, select Open Existing View.
3. From the View drop-down list, select the maestro view you want to open.
   
   
4. Click OK.
   The selected maestro view maestro_basic is opened.
   
   

Default Design Edit Mode

You can set the designEditMode environment variable in CIW or .cdsinit file to specify the default mode in which your designs must be opened. The default value for this variable is nil, which means that the designs are opened in read-only mode by default. If you select t, the designs are opened in edit mode.

envSetVal("asimenv" "designEditMode" 'boolean t)

Opening ADE Explorer Using Schematic Editor Workspace

After you open the ADE Explorer maestro view, you can switch back to the schematic tab and change the workspace to Explorer. This option is provided in the Workspace Configuration toolbar of Virtuoso Schematic Editor.

This workspace displays the Setup and Outputs assistants that you can use to set up and run simulations and perform post-processing functions on the simulation results from the Schematic Editor window. This feature provides the following usability enhancements:

• You can now perform various simulation-related tasks without switching between the simulation and Schematic Editor window.
• If you change the simulation settings or customize menus from the simulation window, the Schematic Editor toolbars are also synchronized accordingly. For example, if you choose a simulator from the simulation window, the sub menu items in the Direct Plot menu change accordingly in both the simulation window menu and the Schematic Editor toolbar. Similarly, if you add a new sub menu item in the Direct Plot menu in the simulation window, the new sub menu item appears in the Direct Plot toolbar menu in the Schematic Editor.

ADE Explorer Toolbars in Virtuoso Schematic Editor

The following table lists the ADE Explorer toolbar commands that are displayed along with the Virtuoso Schematic Editor toolbars when ADE Explorer is launched from schematic editor or vice versa.

Command	Description
Calculator	Opens the Calculator window in Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL.
Results Browser	Opens the Results Browser window.
Select Results	Opens the Select Results form.
Annotate	Annotates and displays the selected outputs on schematic.
Print	Opens the schematic design where you can select the signals or instances that you want to print and then opens the Results Display Window to print the values. You can print the hard copies of selected components using this option.
Direct Plot	Opens the Direct Plot form that you can use to generate the quick waveform plots.
Real Time Tuning	Opens the Real Time Tuning assistant.
Plotting Mode	Lets you select the plotting mode.
Plotting Template	Lets you select the plotting template.
Save plotting template	Saves the plotting template.
Plot Options	Opens the Plotting Options form to specify plot options.
Annotation Setup	Opens the Annotation Setup form.
Balloon Options	Opens the Balloon Options form.
Show/Hide Balloons	Enables or disables info-balloons for waveforms or annotations.
Clear Waveform Balloons	Clears the pinned info-balloons.
Choose analysis data to show in Waveform infoBalloons	Lets you select the analysis for which the waveform info-balloons are to be displayed.
Sim Time	Lets you specify the transient time points.

ADE Explorer Menu in Schematic

When a schematic design is opened from within the ADE Explorer window, the ADE Explorer menu is displayed in the menu bar of the schematic window, as shown in the figure below.

All the options in this menu are disabled when you work in the real-time tuning mode.

Virtuoso ADE Explorer Graphical User Interface

The Virtuoso ADE Explorer user interface consists of a menubar, toolbars, sidebars, tabs, and assistants. You can customize the settings for these UI elements according to your requirements.

The title of the ADE Explorer window indicates whether the tool is opened in read or editing mode and also displays the library, cell, and view names.

Virtuoso ADE Explorer consists of the following components:

• Menu Bar
• Toolbars
• Assistants
• Outputs Setup Pane and Tabs
• Results Tab
• Status Bar

Menu Bar

Menu bar consists of the following menus:

• Launch Menu
• Session Menu
• Setup Menu
• Analyses Menu
• Variables Menu
• Outputs Menu
• Simulation Menu
• Results Menu
• Tools Menu
• EAD Menu
• Parasitics/LDE Menu
• Help Menu

Launch Menu

The table below lists the description of Launch menu:

Menu Option Name	Description
ADE Assembler	Opens the design and simulation setup in Virtuoso ADE Assembler. You must have a valid Assembler license to open the setup in Assembler.
Plugins – RealTime Tuning	Opens the Real-Time Tuning assistant that you can use to change the variable and parameter values to fine-tune the design and view the updated plots simultaneously.

Session Menu

The table below lists the description of Session menu:

Menu Option Name	Description
Open Design in Tab	Opens a new tab containing the design.
Save	Saves the current session settings for the library, cell, and view.
Save a Copy	Saves a copy of the current session settings for the library, cell and view. The Save a Copy form appears when you select this option.
Import	Opens the Import Setup form so you can import settings from an existing ADE Explorer setup database.
Load ADE L State	Loads the previously saved ADE L state in the current session.
Save OCEAN Script	Saves the current state as an OCEAN script.
Quit	Exits the ADE Explorer window.

Setup Menu

The table below lists the description of Setup menu:

Menu Option Name	Description
Job Setup	Opens the Job Policy Setup form that you can use to set up a job policy to be used for the simulation run.
Design	Opens the Choose Design -- ADE Explorer form that you can use to choose another design (library, cell, and view) and opens the selected design in the current session in the read or edit mode.
Simulator	Opens the Choosing Simulator -- ADE Explorer form that you can use to choose a simulator. The default simulator is Spectre. The available simulators are—hspiceD, UltraSim, and ams
Save Options	Opens the Save Options form that you can use to specify simulation results directory and database location where the simulation results are saved.
High-Performance Simulation	Opens the High-Performance Simulation Options form that you can use to select the simulation performance mode. The available options are Spectre, APS, and XPS MS.
Model Libraries	Opens the Model Library Setup form that you can use to specify location and section information of the model files.
Temperature	Opens the Setting Temperature form that you can use to set the temperature. The default temperature is 27 degrees Celsius.
Stimuli	Sets the Setup Stimuli form that you can use to specify stimuli settings.
Simulation Files	Opens the Simulation Files Setup form that you can use to specify path and other settings for simulation files and vector files. The simulation files include—Definition files, Stimulus file, Parasitic files (DSPF and SPEF), and PSpice files.
EM/IR Analysis	Opens the EM/IR Analysis Setup form that you can use to specify settings for the Spectre EM/IR analysis.
MATLAB/Simulink	Setting—Opens the Cosimulation Options form that you can use to enables the co-simulation and specify its options. Log File—Opens the log file.
Environment	Opens the Environment Options form that you can use to specify simulation environment options.

Analyses Menu

The table below lists the description of Analyses menu:

Menu Option Name	Description
Choose	Opens the Choosing Analysis form that you can use to choose analyses for the specified simulator. When the simulator is set as Spectre, only tran analysis is selected by default.
Delete	Deletes the analysis selected in the Setup assistant.
Enable	Enables the analysis selected in the Setup assistant.
Disable	Disables the analysis selected in the Setup assistant.

Variables Menu

The table below lists the description of Variables menu:

Menu Option Name	Description
Edit	Enables you to edit the already specified design variables.
Delete	Deletes the design variable selected in the Setup assistant.
Find	Opens the schematic and highlights the component on which the variable is applied.
Copy From Cellview	Copies the selected design variables from a cellview.
Copy To Cellview	Copies the selected design variables to a cellview.

Outputs Menu

The table below lists the description of Outputs menu:

Menu Option Name	Description
Setup	Opens the Setting Outputs form that you can use to specify output signals or expressions (created using ViVA) to be evaluated or plotted during the simulation run.
Delete	Deletes the selected output.
Import	Imports the outputs saved in a file.
Export	Exports the outputs to a file.
Send To Expression Editor	All—Sends all the outputs to Expression Editor table in ViVA. Expressions—Sends only the expressions to Expression Editor table in ViVA. Signals—Sends only the signals to Expression Editor table in ViVA
To Be Saved	Specifies the outputs you want to save during the simulation run. Select on Design—Selects the outputs to be saved from the schematic design. Select OP Parameters—Specifies the operating point parameters to be saved. Currently, this option is not available. Add To—Adds the highlight to the selected set in the schematic and navigator. For example, if you select an output, OUTP, in the Outputs pane and click this option, the output is added to the selected set in the schematic and navigator. Remove From—Removes the highlight from the selected set in the schematic and navigator.
To Be Plotted	Specifies the outputs you want to plot during the simulation run. Select on Design—Selects the outputs to be saved from the schematic design. Add To—Adds the highlight to the selected set in the schematic and navigator. For example, if you select an output, OUTP, in the Outputs pane and click this option, the output is added to the selected set in the schematic and navigator. Remove From—Removes the highlight from the selected set in the schematic and navigator.
Save All	Opens the Save Options form that you can use to specify save options, circuit information analysis options, and output format to be used for saving results.

Simulation Menu

The table below lists the description of Simulation menu:

Menu Option Name	Description
Netlist and Run	Creates the netlist and runs the simulation.
Stop	Stops a running simulation.
Run Preview	Opens the Run Preview tab that shows the preview of the simulation setup summary.
MDL Control	Opens the MDL Control Options form that you can use to enable the MDL mode and specify the MDL mode options.
Reliability	Setup—Opens the Reliability form that you can use to specify the reliability analysis settings. Save Options—Saves the simulation results for reliability analysis. Load Options—Loads the saved simulation results for reliability analysis
Options	Analog—Opens the Simulator Options form that you can use to specify the options for the selected analog simulator. Digital—Opens the Simulator Options form that you can use to specify the options for the selected digital simulator. Mixed Signal—Opens the Simulator Options form that you can use to specify the options for the selected mixed-signal simulator.
Netlist	Create—Generates the netlist for the current simulation run. Display—Displays the netlist generated for the current simulation run. Recreate—Recreate the netlist for the current simulation run.
Output Log	Opens the simulation log file.
Linter Log	Displays the log file generated during lint checks.
Convergence Aids	Node Set—Sets an initial DC voltage on selected nodes Initial Condition—Sets an initial transient voltage on selected nodes.

Results Menu

The table below lists the description of Results menu.

Menu Option Name	Description
Plot Outputs	Transient—Plots the transient response for each node AC—Plots the AC response for each node DC—Plots the DC sweep response for each node Noise—Plots the squared noise voltage for each node Expressions—Plots the waveforms for expressions you define in the Setting Outputs form.
Direct Plot	Main Form—Opens the Direct Plot form that you can use to generate the quick waveform plots. Transient Signal, Transient Minus DC, Transient Sum, Transient Difference, AC Magnitude, AC dB10, AC dB20, AC Phase, AC Magnitude & Phase, AC Gain & Phase, Equivalent Output Noise, Equivalent Input Noise, Squared Output Noise, Squared Input Noise, Noise Figure, DC
Print	Opens the schematic design where you can select the signals or instances that you want to print and then opens the Results Display Window to print the values. You can print the hard copies of selected components using this option.
Annotate	Annotates and displays the selected outputs on schematic
Vector	Log File Error File
Circuit Conditions	Opens the Circuit Conditions form that you can use to perform the conditional search for results to find out components in the saturation region, breakdown region, or any user-defined region.
Reliability Data	You can select below options to view reliability results for: Device Lifetime and Degradation Device Characteristic Degradation Model Parameter Changes
EM/IR Data	EM/IR Log—Opens the log file for EM/IR analysis. Report Layout Analysis—Opens the selected layout view.
Save	Opens the Save Results form to save on-demand results (histories) in ADE Explorer that can be loaded later. This option is available only after you run the simulation. The name of the default history file is Explorer.Run.0.
Select	Opens the Select History form that displays the saved results and notes of a selected history item.
Delete	Deletes the saved results for a selected history.
Plotting/Printing Options	Opens the ADE Explorer Plotting/Printing Options form that you use to specify different plotting options.

Tools Menu

The table below lists the description of Tools menu:

Menu Option Name	Description
Corners	Opens the Corner Setup form that you can use to specify the settings for corners to be created during the simulation run.
Monte Carlo	Opens the Monte Carlo form that you can use to setup the run options for Monte Carlo simulation.
Export Data	Opens the Export Results form that you can use to export the simulation results of a
Create Datasheet	Opens the Create Datasheet form that you can use to create datasheet for a checkpoint.
Real Time Tuning	Opens the Real Time Tuning assistant.
RF	ACPR—Opens the ACPR Wizard. LSSP—Opens the Large Signal S-Parameter Wizard.
Calculator	Opens the Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL Calculator.
Results Browser	Opens the Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL tool in Results Browser workspace.
Waveform	Opens the Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL Graph window.
Results Display	Opens the Results Display Window.
Job Monitor	Opens the Cadence Job Monitor window.

EAD Menu

The EAD menu helps to enable the Electrically Aware Design flow in Virtuoso and configure settings to save the electrical data.

Menu Option Name	Description
Setup	Displays the EAD Setup form. For more information, see Preparing the EAD Setup for Simulation in Virtuoso Electrically Aware Design Flow Guide.
Signal Selection	Opens the design schematic in a new tab and displays the Parasitics & Electrical Setup assistant to enable selection of signals for the EAD flow. For more information, see Selecting Signals to Save Currents in Virtuoso Electrically Aware Design Flow Guide.

Parasitics/LDE Menu

Menu Option Name	Description
Setup	Opens the Parasitics & LDE Setup form that you can use to set up the parasitic information about your design.
Create Estimates	Ceates the estimated parasitics and builds a parasitic or an LDE view.
Create Filters	Creates the parasitic filters to refine the extracted view.
Report	Creates a range of parasitic reports (including comparing the parasitic/LDE and extracted views), exports the report information, and cross-probes with the extracted view.
Compare	Helps to setup the parasitic comparisons for the parasitic/LDE schematic and extracted views.
Options	Opens the Options form that you can use to set the options related to backannotation and parasitic probing for estimated and extracted parasitics.

For more information about these options, see Virtuoso Parasitic Aware Design User Guide.

Window Menu

The table below lists the description of Windows menu:

Menu Option Name	Description
Assistants	Lists the following assistants: Parasitics & Electrical Setup Parasitics Filters Parasitics Report Explorer Run Summary Setup Operating Region Variables and Parameters Toggle Visibility—Changes the show or hide status of the selected assistants.
Toolbars	Lists the available toolbars. For information about the toolbars list, see Toolbars. Toggle Visibility—Changes the show or hide status of the selected toolbars. Customize—Opens the Toolbar Manager that you can use to customize toolbars.
Workspaces	Sets the workspace. The available workspaces are: Basic and Real Time Tuning. This option also lists the commands that you can use to perform workspace-specific tasks: Save As—Opens the Save Workspace form that you can use Saves the Workspace Delete Load Set Default Revert to Saved
Tabs	List the tabs that are currently open in ADE Explorer. To open a tab, click the tab name. Close Current Tab—Closes the currently-active tab. Close Other Tabs—Closes all the additional tabs. Only ADE Explorer window remains open.

Help Menu

The table below lists the description of Help menu:

Menu Option Name	Description
Search	A text field that lets you enter a search string. Press Enter to view the search results. Do not enclose the search string in double quotes.
User Guide	Opens Virtuoso ADE Explorer User Guide (at the section that provides information about using CIW) in Cadence Help.
What’s New	Opens the Virtuoso ADE Explorer What’s New document in Cadence Help.
Known Problems and Solutions	Opens the Virtuoso Known Problems and Solutions document in Cadence Help.
Virtuoso Documentation Library	Opens the Cadence Help home page, which provides quick access links to the following local and online resources: What’s New Video Demos and Tutorials Featured Content Known Problems and Solutions Other web resources
Virtuoso Video Library	Opens the Video Library page available on Cadence Online Support (COS). This page lists the videos available for various Virtuoso products. You must have a COS account to access the content available on COS. Contact your IT support to ensure that the Internet ports required for video playback are enabled.
Virtuoso Rapid Adoption Kits	Opens the Rapid Adoption Kits page on COS. This page lists Rapid Adoption Kits (RAKs) available for various Virtuoso products.
Virtuoso Learning Map	Lists domain-specific training available on Cadence Training Services. Cadence Training Services learning maps provide a comprehensive visual overview of the learning opportunities for Cadence customers. They provide recommended course flows as well as tool experience and knowledge levels to guide customers through a complete learning plan.
Virtuoso Custom IC Community	Opens the Virtuoso Custom IC Community web page. This page provides access to the latest blogs and discussion threads on various Virtuoso products and design topics, information about software downloads and support and training, and other related information. You too can contribute to the community forum by creating a Cadence account. This gives you additional benefits such as alerts about topics of interest and access to online webinars.
Cadence Online Support	Opens COS, which you can use to access information about Cadence products, documentation, videos, RAKs, application notes, troubleshooting information, alerts, and so on. Improvements are regularly made to COS to make it convenient for you to look up the information you want. We recommend that you bookmark this web site and use it as your first point of reference for any Virtuoso-related information. You can also access COS by clicking the Cadence logo available in the upper-right banner in each Virtuoso window.
Cadence Training	Opens the Cadence training web page. You can find on this page information about the training courses available in different regions. Information is available about both classroom and online courses.
Cadence Community	Opens the Cadence Community web page. This page provides access to the latest blogs and discussion threads on various Cadence products and solutions, and EDA Industry Insights. You too can contribute to the community forum by creating a Cadence account. This gives you additional benefits such as alerts about topics of interest and access to online webinars.
Cadence OS Platform Support	Provides information about the current Cadence software releases and the supported platforms.
Contact Us	Opens the Cadence Customer Support web page, which provides customer support contact information for different regions.
Cadence Home	Opens the Cadence corporate web site.
About Virtuoso	Displays Virtuoso Studio Design Environment version information.

Toolbars

To show or hide toolbars in Virtuoso ADE Explorer:

• Right-click anywhere in the menu bar and select the toolbars that you want to show.

The Virtuoso ADE Explorer consists of the following toolbars:

• Run Toolbar
• Explorer Simulation Setup
• Real Time Tuning Toolbar
• Results Toolbar
• Plotting Toolbar
• Output Setup Toolbar
• Parasitic Mode Toolbar
• Go Toolbar
• Bookmarks Toolbar
• Workspaces Toolbar

Run Toolbar

The Run toolbar contains the following buttons:

• Choose Analysis— Opens the Choosing Analyses form.
• Edit Variables— Opens the Editing Design Variables form.
• Add Outputs—Includes a drop-down to specify the output you want to add.
• Delete— Deletes the selected outputs from the Output Setup tab.
• Run Simulation— Runs a simulation.
• Stop Simulation— Stops a simulation.
• Plot Outputs— Plots all available results at once.

Explorer Simulation Setup

The ADE Explorer Simulation Setup toolbar contains the following buttons:

• Choose Design
• Choose Simulator
• Save
• Temperature
• Model Libraries
• Stimuli
• Environment
• Load ADE L State
• Corner Setup

Real Time Tuning Toolbar

The Real Time Tuning toolbar contains the following button that opens the Real Time Tuning assistant to the left of the ADE Explorer window:

Results Toolbar

The Results toolbar contains the following buttons:

• Results Directory—Specifies the simulation results directory location.
• Xterm—Opens the terminal window.

Plotting Toolbar

The Plotting toolbar contains the following buttons:

• Plotting Mode—Specifies the plotting modes that you want to use for plotting output waveforms. The available modes are—Append, Replace, New Subwindow, and New Window
• Plot Options—Opens the Plotting Options form to specify plot options.

Output Setup Toolbar

The Output Setup toolbar is displayed by default and is used to create and save named filters for combination of column searches that you use or refer to more frequently. These named filter include search words or strings used to filter the outputs for all columns.

• Named filter drop-down list—Lists the named filters.
• Save named filter—Saves the specified named filter.
• Delete named filter—Deletes the specified named filter.
• Reset Table—Restores the original arrangement or undoes any sorting of the output rows.
• Remove .tmpADEDir—Deletes the .tmpADEDir directory.
  The .tmpADEDir directory contains the intermediate simulation and netlisting information for a given mestro cellview. The directory can be used in parallel in a different Virtuoso session for the same testbench. It is recommended to remove the.tmpADEDir carefully because though it can help in resolving netlist issues, cleaning the .tmpADEDir directory increases the run time for the incremental simulations. It removes data for all the tests in the cellview. If this command is used in ADE Explorer, the .tmp data is removed for all tests, including data that may be part of other tests in ADE Assembler.

Parasitic Mode Toolbar

The Parasitic Mode toolbar is not displayed by default and appears after the parasitics have been setup using the Parasitics/LDE Setup form. This toolbar contains the following buttons:

• Parasitic/LDE Mode—Specifies the parasitics mode from the drop-down list. The default mode is No Parasitics/LDE. The other available modes are: Schematic Estimates (Parasitics), Layout (Parasitics/LDE), and Extracted (Parasitics/LDE).
• Setup (Parasitics/LDE)—Opens the Parasitics/LDE Setup form that you can use to set up parasitics.
• Build Parasitics/LDE view (Custom Parasitics)—Creates the custom parasitics or LDE view.
• Sweep Drop-down list – Specifies whether to sweep the devices or parasitics. The available options are: No Sweeps, Devices Only, Parasitics Only, and Devices and Parasitics.
  For more information about these options, see Virtuoso Parasitic Aware Design User Guide.

Go Toolbar

The Go toolbar contains the following buttons:

• Back
• Forward
• Up
• Top

Bookmarks Toolbar

This toolbar contains the list of bookmarked views.

Workspaces Toolbar

The Workspaces toolbar contains the following buttons:

• 
  
  
• Workspace drop-down—Displays the list of available workspaces—Basic and Real Time Tuning.
• Save Workspace—Opens the Save Workspace form to create and save a new workspace.
• Toggle Assistants—Controls the display of assistants in ADE Explorer.

Assistants

To show or hide assistants in Virtuoso ADE Explorer:

• Right-click anywhere in the menu bar and select the assistants that you want to show.

Virtuoso ADE Explorer consists of the following assistants:

• Explorer Run Summary Assistant
• Variable and Parameter Assistant
• Setup Assistant
• Real Time Tuning Assistant
• ViVA Graph Assistant

Explorer Run Summary Assistant

The Explorer Run Summary assistant displays the number of corners running during a simulation run.

During the simulation run, a progress symbol ( ) appears on the Explorer Run Summary assistant. When place your mouse over this symbol, the simulation run status appears in a tooltip, as shown in the figure below:

When the simulation run is complete, it shows the completion status, as shown in the figure below:

Variable and Parameter Assistant

The Variable and Parameters assistant includes two tabs—Variables to create and view the global variables and variables local to the selected design, and Parameters to create and view parameters.

Variables Tab

Lists the design variables displayed in the Setup assistant and their values.

When you right-click the test name or the variable value, the following context menu appears that you can use to add, edit, delete, copy, and find variables:

Parameters Tab

Setup Assistant

The Setup assistant helps you specify and view the settings for analyses, design variables, parameters, corners, Monte Carlo simulation run options, and checks/Asserts.

The Setup assistant includes the following two columns to display the setup data:

• Name—Includes the names of the setup elements, such as variable, parameter, corner, and so on.
• Value—Includes the values of the elements defined in the setup.

These columns are separated by a divider bar that you can drag to change the width of the columns. The width of the divider bar can also be controlled by the nameDisplayWidthInDataView .cdsenv variable.

Filtering Data in the Setup Assistant

The Setup assistant includes search filters for the Name and Value columns. You can use these filters to filter the data based on the specified criteria.

These filters are displayed by default. To show or hide filters,

• Right-click anywhere in the column header and choose Hide Filters or Show Filters.
• Set the showFilterInDataView .cdsenv variable.

To specify filter conditions while searching or filtering the outputs,

• Right-click the Filter drop-down list and select the conditions listed in the figure below. This figure displays the conditions that are selected by default.
  
  

When you type a search string in the Filter drop-down in the Name or Value column, the words matching the search criteria are displayed. In addition, the sections are expanded to show the data that matches with the specified search string. For example, the following figure shows the Design Variables section expanded when you search the string load.

When you clear the search string, the Setup assistant is returned back to its original non-expanded form.

Similarly, the Value column displays the words matching the search string. You can also search for a range of values in the Value column, and the values that fall in the specified range are displayed, as shown in the figure below.

You can also search for a value that is a part of the sweep range specified in the variables and parameters. For example, if the variable wp includes sweep range 1.2:0.1:1.5, and you search for 1.4, then the following results are displayed.

If you move the mouse over the Filter drop-down, the filter conditions are displayed.

A history of the searched words or strings is also maintained in the Filter drop-down list. This history can be reused later, and therefore, helps in making the filtering or searching faster. In addition, you do not need to type the text again to search for a particular output.

To clear the search history, select Clear Search History from the drop-down list of the search filter.

In addition, after the searched words are filtered and listed, the Filter drop-down list changes into a Cancel button that you can use to cancel the search and display all the specified output.

The following context-menu appears when you right-click the design information:

The following context-menu options appear when you right-click a design variable:

The following context-menu options appear when you right-click a parameter:

The following context-menu options appear when you right-click a corner:

Real Time Tuning Assistant

The Real-Time Tuning (RTT) assistant in ADE Explorer helps you edit the values of variables and parameters and the simulation results are dynamically updated to reflect the changes that have been made.

For more information about this assistant, see Chapter 10, “Real-Time Tuning in Simulations”.

ViVA Graph Assistant

The Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL graph displays the output waveforms after a simulation run is complete. If the  environment variable is set to Assistant, the Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL graph appears as an assistant in ADE Explorer and displayed to the right of the ADE Explorer or design window.

By default, this assistant does not show separate tabs that are created when you select plotting mode as New Win. To view the tabs, right-click anywhere on the toolbar and choose Show Tab Bar. The tabs are displayed below the toolbar.

In ADE Explorer, you can open this assistant through one of the following ways:

• Right-click anywhere in the menu bar and choose Assistants – Graph.
• Choose Tools – Waveform.
• Click the button on the Plotting toolbar.

In Schematic Editor, you can open the graph assistant through one of the following ways:

• Right-click anywhere in the menu bar and choose Assistants – Graph.
• Choose Windows – Assistants – ViVA Graph.
• Click the button on the Plotting toolbar.
  If the environment variable is set to Assistant, the Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL graph appears as an assistant.

When the Virtuoso Visualization and Analysis XL graph assistant is opened for the first time in a session, the following pop-up appears that shows how you can undock and re-dock the graph assistant in ADE Explorer.

You can select the Do not show this again check box to disable the dialog box. You can also set the following environment variable in CIW and .cdsinit file to control the display of this pop-up.

envSetVal("maestro.plotting" "showViVAGraphLaunchTip" 'boolean t)

Outputs Setup Pane and Tabs

Outputs Setup pane is a static component that displays the outputs that you want to be saved, evaluated, and plotted during the simulation run. Tabs are also displayed above this pane that you can use to switch between the ADE Explorer and Schematic environments.

The header of the Outputs Setup pane contains columns to display specific details for each output, such as output name, type, details, value, whether to be saved or plotted, spec, and so on. To display or hide these columns, right-click anywhere in the header and choose the column name you want to show or hide.

You can use the context-menu options to add, delete, or rename columns.

You can also define performance specifications in the Outputs Setup pane in the Spec column. After simulation, the results for the specified specifications are displayed in the Value column to indicate whether your design met, nearly met, or failed to meet your performance specifications. The Value column displays simulation status, such as pending, running, error codes, and so on, and the text foreground color is changed based on error code of the result. A waveform icon is displayed in this column when the output result is a wave. When a run is multi-point (sweep), this column is not displayed.

When you click the tab for the design schematic (I19 (opamp)), the Virtuoso Schematic Editor window opens and design appears as shown in the figure below:

You can close these tabs to exit from the schematic and ADE Explorer environment.

Results Tab

The Results tab is displayed when you run a simulation with the following features:

• Multi-point simulation with sweep values defined for parameters or corners
• Monte Carlo Sampling
• Reliability Analysis
• Checks/Asserts analyses

The Results tab displays the results for each swept value separately (see the figure below).

After running a multi-point simulation, if you run a single-point simulation, the Result tab disappears and the results are displayed in the Value column of the Outputs Setup tab.

Run Preview Tab

Run Preview

The Run Preview tab in the Outputs Setup pane provides a summarized view of all the settings applied in the current ADE Explorer view. You can view various details, such as the total number of sweep points and corners that are run, the number of active tests, or the job policies being used. To view specific data points, use the filters available for each column header. If required, you can also view a particular data point in the debug environment and run simulation for that.

For more information about the Run Preview tab, see Viewing Run Preview.

Status Bar

The status bar displayed at the bottom of the window displays the following information:

• Simulation progress during the simulation run, as shown in the figure below:
  
  
• Results history name, design, and simulator information
• Warnings and error messages
• Static information, such as the name of the toolbar button selected in the window
• Dynamic information, such as the toolbar names are displayed when you perform mouse-hover on toolbars

Switching Between ADE Explorer and ADE Assembler

In ADE Explorer, you can work on one test at a time. When you need to work on different tests simultaneously, you can launch the Virtuoso ADE Assembler application that provides a multi-test environment where you can set up and run multiple tests.

To launch Assembler from within ADE Explorer,

• Choose Launch – ADE Assembler.
  The current ADE Explorer setup appears in the Virtuoso ADE Assembler environment.
  
  

For information about how to work in the ADE Assembler environment, see Virtuoso ADE Assembler User Guide. To go back to ADE Explorer from within ADE Assembler, choose Launch – ADE Explorer. If you have multiple tests in ADE Assembler, the Choose a Test form appears in which you can choose the test you want to open in ADE Explorer.

This form also appears when you open a setup created in Virtuoso ADE Assembler into Explorer that has multiple tests defined.

When EAD is enabled for a test in ADE Assembler and you open this test in ADE Explorer, the following error message appears:

EAD is not supported in ADE Explorer. Do you want to disable EAD and proceed with the simulation?

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