Mixed-Signal Analyzer

Analyze circuit simulation data

Since R2021a

Description

The Mixed-Signal Analyzer app enables you to visualize, analyze, and identify trends in mixed-signal simulation data. With the Cadence^® Virtuoso ADE-MATLAB^® Integration option you can import databases of circuit-level simulation results in MATLAB. To gain insights into the data, you can plot trends where you can vary different process parameters and see how the system behavior changes. You can compare the simulation results between different simulation runs and save and export your results.

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Open the Mixed-Signal Analyzer App

• MATLAB Toolstrip: In the Apps tab, under Signal Processing and Communications, click the app icon.

• MATLAB command prompt: Enter mixedSignalAnalyzer.

Examples

• Export Cadence® Simulation Data to MAT File
• Import Cadence® Database to Mixed-Signal Analyzer
• Add Custom Analysis Functions

Programmatic Use

mixedSignalAnalyzer

mixedSignalAnalyzer opens a new blank Mixed-Signal Analyzer app.

mixedSignalAnalyzer('<fileName.fileExtension>')

mixedSignalAnalyzer('<fileName.fileExtension>') starts the Mixed-Signal Analyzer app, and loads it with the simulation data from the <fileName> file. The app supports .csv, .xlsx, and .mat files.

More About

Extract Data from Cadence

You can extract simulation data from Cadence ADE Simulation run (Interactive or Ocean). You can save data from a specific simulation run or all simulation runs. The intermediate waveforms generated by the SKILL expressions and signal with alias names are also saved in a folder.

Simulation data are saved in a .mat file.

You can first extract the data from Cadence to a .mat file, then launch the Mixed-Signal Analyzer app. This allows you to run the app from any operating system: Linux^®, Windows^®, or Mac. For more information, see Export Cadence® Simulation Data to MAT File.

Alternatively, you can export the data from Cadence directly in the Mixed-Signal Analyzer app. This allows you to export multiple interactive runs at the same time. But you must be in the Linux environment. For more information, see Import Cadence® Database to Mixed-Signal Analyzer.

When extracting data from Cadence, you can select what type of data to extract:

• Only metrics data.

• Metrics data, selected probed signals, and all expression-based waveforms.

• Metrics data and all waveform data.

Note

Currently the Mixed-Signal Analyzer app supports extracting the tran,dc,ac, and stb analysis data from Cadence runs.

Import Simulation Data to Mixed-Signal Analyzer App

You can import simulation data to Mixed-Signal Analyzer app in three ways:

• Import data from a .csv, .xlsx, or .mat file. The .csv and .xlsx files must contain only metrics data (no waveform data). The .mat file can contain only simulation data (generated from adeinfo2msa) or the data from a previous saved app session (session .mat file).

• Import data from a table in the MATLAB workspace.

• Import data from Adeinfo database.

To import data from Adeinfo database, use the adeinfo2msa function. The function extracts the Cadence simulation information, converts the data to a .mat file, then launches the Mixed-Signal Analyzer app with the generated .mat file.

You can select to import only the metrics data for faster performance. When you select to import the waveform data as well, you can select only the probed signals you are interested in. All expression-based waveform data are also imported if you select to import waveform data. The waveform data are saved in a folder with multiple .mat files.

You can define which type of run result to process (Interactive or Ocean), the simulation run name, and the test name mentioned in Cadence ADE Maestro view. You can also specify the file name of the .mat file to be generated. For more information, see adeinfo2msa.

Analysis

Use the Mixed-Signal Analyzer to perform various analysis to get a better understanding of the system. Supported built-in analysis functions are:

Analysis Function	Description
clip	Return the portion of a signal between two specific points along the x-axis.
dutyCycle	Return the duty cycle of a waveform.
fallTime	Return the fall time value of a waveform. You must specify the upper and lower limits to measure the fall time.
phaseNoise	Return the phase noise of a signal. You must specify the resolution bandwidth and the frequency offset points. If the frequency offset points are specified as a scalar, the resulting phase noise is displayed under Analysis Metrics in the Data panel. If the frequency offset points are specified as a row vector, the resulting phase noise is displayed under Analysis Waveforms in the Data panel.
powerSpectrum	Generate power spectrum from time domain data.
riseTime	Return the rise time value of a waveform. You must specify the upper and lower limits to measure the rise time.
xMaximum	Return the highest value along the y-axis.
xMinimum	Return the lowest value along the y-axis.
yMaximum	Return the highest value along the y-axis.
yMinimum	Return the lowest value along the y-axis.

You can also add your custom analysis using the Add Analysis button. This opens the Mixed-Signal Analyzer - Add Analysis dialog box. You can create custom analysis function in two ways:

• Enter a MATLAB expression. You can use any built-in MATLAB function available to you.

  You can also access your saved expressions by clicking the Manage Saved Expressions button.

• Create your own custom MATLAB function. You can also define numeric parameters that can be entered manually during the runtime using the Parameter prompts option. You can access your custom functions by clicking the Open Existing button.

  Note

  You must enter one numerical parameter prompt per line.

  For more information, see Add Custom Analysis Functions.

You can access your saved custom functions by clicking the arrow beside the Add Analysis button in the add toolstrip, then clicking the Open Analysis Function button.

Note

The custom analysis functions are saved in the \msblks\+msaCustom folder in your preferred directory. You can find your preferred directory using the prefdir command in the MATLAB command window.

The app supports analysis of both current and voltage signals. You can also combine different simulations results such as data with only waveforms, only metrics, or a combination of both.

Filter Data Nodes

You can focus on the waveforms and metrics you are interested in by filtering out the unwanted data nodes.

To filter out the waveform and metrics nodes before plotting them, select the waveform or metrics in the Data panel, then click the Filter button in the app toolstrip. This actions removes the deselected nodes from the plots altogether, reducing the number of cases plotted. To undo this action, you have to create a new plot.

To filter out parameters from a plot, click the Filter... button in the Plot Options panel, then deselect the nodes you want to filter out. This removes the deselected nodes from the current plot from now. You can bring back the nodes any time by clicking the Filter... again and reselecting them. You can also filter out datasets from the trend chart.

Cross-Probe Results Data

The Mixed-Signal Analyzer app reports the analysis results and metrics both as a plot and a metrics table in the Plot Options panel. If you select any data point in the figure, the corresponding data point in the metrics table is highlighted. Alternately, if you select any data point in the metrics table, the corresponding data point in the plot is highlighted.

You can select multiple data points and add legends to gain insight into their correlation. To select multiple data sets, hold the CTRL or the SHIFT button in your keyboard while selecting the data points.

This allows you to easily map the data point in the figure to the data point in the metrics table for better insight about your design.

Update Waveforms

You can update a waveform file in the current session with a similar waveform file by clicking the Update button in the app toolstrip. To match the waveforms in the current session versus those in the updated file, you must ensure that both the current session and updated file has the:

• same simulation type (transient, AC, or DC),

• same node name (for example, /ldo_out),

• and same corner name and associated datapoint number (for example, C1_0<DataPoint>1).

Customize Display

To customize the plots display, right click on the inactive area of the plot. This allows you to customize the text font, style, and size. You can customize the fonts for x and y axes, and the legends (trend chart only).

Report Generation

You can export the analysis results from the app as a report in either ppt, pdf, doc, or html file format. You can also rename each plot for your convenience while generating the report using the Plot > Rename Plot option from the app toolbar. You can also select the format, name, and location of the report file. By default, the report is saved in the maestro/documents folder of the design.

Version History

Introduced in R2021a

R2024b: Select Signals when Exporting Data from Cadence

You can select which probed signals you want to extract from Cadence. All the expression-based waveform data are also imported.

R2024b: Plot Metrics and Waveform Data from Command Line

You can now plot the metrics and waveform data of an adeInfo object directly from the MATLAB without launching the app. For more information, see adeDataReader