Optimize Your RF Board Design Flow
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The growing wireless industry is driving profit competition in the RF board market. Unlike traditional PCB boards, producing RF boards to compete for tight market windows requires circuit and EM simulation before building hardware to eliminate wasteful rework. RF board Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software now enables RF Boards to be easily imported in industry-standard formats such as ODB++ for accurate simulation of only the RF paths without the need for tedious, error-prone manual cutting and extraction. RF paths include RF metal traces, surface mount devices (SMD), packaging, printed antennas, and connectors. Accurate simulation requires both circuit and EM analyses together, called EM-circuit co-simulation. The RF board EM-circuit co-simulation design flow is now automated to replace traditional separate circuit and EM analyses, followed by manual connection of simulated results. This reduces days and weeks of manual data connection and checking to minutes while preserving error-free design integrity for subsequent sign-off to production. Automated EM-circuit co-simulation enables production process variations, such as over/under etching, to be easily analyzed to ensure high production yields despite manufacturing tolerances. RF Board EDA software must include Python automation to enable powerful AI/Machine Learning capabilities and other PCB tools to be efficiently integrated into your design flow to speed product development for winning in the competitive RF board market. IP reuse, prevention of IP and design database corruption from malicious attacks, or benign mixing of outdated or erroneous data are often overlooked but are critical requirements in your RF board design flow to prevent crippling data loss.