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Preface

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This manual assumes that you are familiar with the development, design, and simulation of integrated circuits and that you have some familiarity with SPICE simulation. It contains information about the Spectre^® circuit simulator.

Spectre is an advanced circuit simulator that simulates analog and digital circuits at the differential equation level. The simulator uses improved algorithms that offer increased simulation speed and greatly improved convergence characteristics over SPICE. Besides the basic capabilities, the Spectre circuit simulator provides significant additional capabilities over SPICE. Verilog^®-A uses functional description text files (modules) to model the behavior of electrical circuits and other systems. Spectre RF Simulation option adds several new analyses that support the efficient calculation of the operating point, transfer function, noise, and distortion of common RF and communication circuits, such as mixers, oscillators, sample holds, and switched-capacitor filters.

This preface discusses the following topics:

• Related Documents
• Typographic and Syntax Conventions
• References

Related Documents

The following can give you more information about the Spectre circuit simulator and related products:

• To learn more about the equations used in the Spectre circuit simulator, consult the Spectre Circuit Simulator Components and Device Models Reference manual.
• The Spectre circuit simulator is often run within the Cadence^® analog circuit design environment, under the Cadence^® design framework II. To see how the Spectre circuit simulator is run under the analog circuit design environment, read the Virtuoso ADE Explorer User Guide.
• For more information about using the Spectre circuit simulator with Verilog-A, see the Verilog-A Language Reference manual.
• If you want to see how SpectreRF is run under the analog circuit design environment, read SpectreRF Simulation Option User Guide.
• For more information about RF theory, see SpectreRF Simulation Option Theory.
• For more information about how you work with the design framework II interface, see Design Framework II Help.
• For more information about specific applications of Spectre analyses, see The Designer’s Guide to SPICE & Spectre1.

Typographic and Syntax Conventions

This list describes the syntax conventions used for the Spectre circuit simulator.

References

Text within brackets ([ ]) are references. See Appendix A, “References” for more information.

Additional Learning Resources

Cadence provides various Rapid Adoption Kits that you can use to learn how to employ Virtuoso applications in your design flows. These kits contain workshop databases, designs, and instructions to run the design flow.

Cadence offers the following training courses on the Spectre circuit simulator:

• Spectre Circuit Simulator
• Spectre Simulations Using Virtuoso ADE

For further information on the training courses available in your region, visit the Cadence Training portal. You can also write to training_enroll@cadence.com.