What's New in Release 10 - Full Release
Sonnet User’s Manuals are only updated with each full release. However, our online help is also available at our web site and starting with Release 10 will periodically be updated with new material. To access this help, go to www.sonnetsoftware.com/support and click on the “Knowledge Base” link for the most recent updates.
For changes from release 10.52 to release 10.53, please refer to the PDF document "New Features and Changes for Version 10.53" available by clicking on the Manuals button on the Sonnet task bar.
New Features
Below is a summation of the major new features in release 10 of Sonnet. Follow the links for more details. For changes from release 9, refer to the changes section later in this topic.
Cadence Virtuoso Interface: A completely new Sonnet plug-in for the Cadence Virtuoso suite enables the RFIC designer to configure and run the EM analysis from a layout cell, extract accurate electrical models, and create a schematic symbol for Analog Artist and RFDE simulation. For more information, please refer to the Cadence Virtuoso Interface document included in PDF format in the Manuals interface. You may access the Manuals interface by clicking on the Manuals button on the Sonnet task bar. This is an optional feature for the Sonnet Professional Suite which must be purchased separately.
Available for SuSE Linux Platforms: This release is available for the Linux operating system SuSE Professional 9.0. It does not support the SuSE Enterprise Server or its client, SuSE Desktop 8.0. For installation instructions, please refer to the UNIX & Linux Installation Manual.
Available on Redhat Linux platforms: This release is available for the Linux operating system Redhat Enterprise 3. It should run on Redhat 9.0 and 8.0, but has not been tested on those platforms. It will not run on Redhat 7.2 or 7.3. For installation instructions, please refer to the UNIX & Linux Installation Manual.
Note: You must purchase a Linux or UNIX license to operate Sonnet on a Linux platform. You may not use a PC license on a Linux system. See "Floating Licenses: UNIX, Linux and PC" on page 14 of the UNIX & Linux Installation Manual & Linux Installation Manual.
Broadband Spice Extraction: The new Broadband Spice Extraction feature allows you to extract a distributed circuit model of a passive circuit which is valid over a broad band. The Broadband Spice Extractor feature generates models that can be used in Spice as a “black box” representing the broadband behavior of your circuit. This is an optional feature for the Sonnet Level2 Suites and above which must be purchased separately.
DC Point Analysis: The DC Frequency sweep analyzes your circuit at a low, non-zero frequency to supply response data at a DC point. This type of response data is necessary for some circuit analysis tools. The DC analysis frequency may be calculated automatically by em, or input manually by the user.
To calculate response data at a DC point, you use the DC frequency sweep which is available in the Frequency Sweep Entry dialog box in the project editor. To access this dialog box you select Analysis => Setup to open the Analysis Setup dialog box. Then, you select Frequency Sweep Combinations in the Analysis Setup dialog box and click on the Add button. This feature is only available as part of the Sonnet Professional Suite.
3D Viewer: This release introduces the new 3D viewer available in the project editor and the current density viewer. The viewer provides a three-dimensional view of your circuit. The view may be rotated in any direction so that the circuit may be observed at any angle. The 3D viewer is invoked by selecting View => View 3D from the main menu of the project editor or the current density viewer. You may animate the 3D view in the current density viewer.
Graph Archives: This new feature allows you to create a graph archive file which includes all the source projects for the data used in the graph allowing you to re-create that graph on any computer by moving the graph archive file and unpacking it.
Sending Projects to Support: There is a new command available in the project editor, File => Send to Sonnet, that provides an easy-to-use interface that allows you to send your projects to Sonnet quickly and easily.
Changes
Below is a summation of the major changes in release 10 of Sonnet. Follow the links for more details.
Thick-Metal Conformal Mesh: In previous releases, conformal mesh polygons could not use the Thick Metal Model definition for loss. This limitation has been removed.
SPICE generation: Changes have been made in the way you generate Spice models and in the formats produced. You may now choose between N-Coupled Line Models, PI Models and Broadband Spice Models. Sonnet’s Spice generation capability now also supports the Spectre format. You may create these files during the em analysis by specifying the file in the project editor or produce them post-analysis, using the new Output menu in the response viewer. .
Q-Factor Accuracy: A new advanced run option has been added to the Advanced Options dialog box in the project editor (Select Analysis => Setup, then click on the Advanced button in the Analysis Setup dialog box). Selecting this option forces a higher accuracy for ABS convergence by including the Q-factor of your analysis as a criterion for convergence.
Binary Boxes/Composite Boxes: In previous releases, using a binary box, where one or both dimensions of the substrate are 2N cells, provided a faster FFT (used during the matrix fill portion of the analysis) and thereby reduced the amount of time it took to analyze a circuit. In this release, the FFT has been improved for composite box sizes. A composite number is not a prime number, nor does it contain any large prime factors. For example, 1000 is a composite number because its largest prime factor is 5. But 998 is not a composite number because its largest prime factor is 499. So a 998 by 998 box might take 2 to 3 times longer in the FFT calculation portion of the analysis than a 1000 by 1000 box. The FFT portion of the analysis is usually a small percentage of the total analysis time, unless you have a lot of layers or an especially large box. If either of these conditions are true, then it might be worthwhile to use a composite number in your box size.
New Output Menu in the Response Viewer: Instead of using an export command in the response viewer, you may now use the new Output menu to specify output files. You may create output files of your S, Y, and Z-parameters, generate SPICE models and output data formatted for a spreadsheet. For more details, please see online help on the Output menu.
Change in Project Editor Menu: The command Analysis => Optional Files command in the project editor is now Analysis => Output Files. You may specify output files of your S, Y, and Z-parameters, SPICE models and output data formatted for a spreadsheet. The specified output files will be generated as part of your em analysis. For more details, please see online help on the Output command.
