> ASCO (A SPICE Circuit Optimizer)

Home >> Software >> Miscellaneous

Last browsed items SPICE simulation and signal integrity principles for high performance digital designs Apex Microtechnology Infinisim Announces RASER™, Breakthrough Simulator for Mixed-signal Designs Intusoft Awarded US Patent for SPICE Simulation Templates jProbe Users' reviews Your contribution In order to post your reviews, to rank a review or to send comments to the mailing-list, you need to log in. If you have not yet created your account, please register. In case of error or omission, please send us your feedback.

ASCO project aims to bring circuit optimization capabilities to existing SPICE simulators using a high-performance parallel differential evolution (DE) optimization algorithm. Currently out-of-the-box support for Eldo (TM), HSPICE (R), LTspice (TM), Spectre (R) and Qucs exist.

ASCO is the result of an academic research which in itself did not intended to create a new tool, but only to design high performance analog low-power low-voltage circuits for mobile communications. Interaction with other experienced designers has resulted in the ideas existing in the ASCO tool. With the exception of the optimizers, all code has been personally written. The key features of the ASCO tool are:

• Simulator independent: currently out-of-the-box support for Eldo (TM), HSPICE (R), LTSpice (TM), Spectre (R) and Qucs exist. More are to be included in future releases.
• Number of variables: there is, in theory, no limit to the number of circuit variables that can be optimized, except those constraints imposed by the available computer memory and/or the time required to generate a functional circuit. It is currently hardcoded in the C code.
• PVT corners: by using the simulator functionality, the possibility to test various design corners and Monte Carlo analysis is only limited to the simulator capability and by the time it takes to finish the optimization.
• Efficiency: the optimization algorithm features a global optimization using differential evolution. It has been used on a variety of applications and is know to produce good results in an acceptable time.
• Parallel/distributed computation: time savings is achieved by simultaneously evaluating the proposed values over multiple computers on the network.
• Within the supported SPICE simulators, arbitrary netlist can be optimized on different conditions without having to recompile the code.
• File format: all outputted data and log information is stored in plain text format. This guarantees that they will be always readable in the future. In addition, it makes possible to use other existing tools to post-process the optimization results.
• Its free software: the code is available under the GNU GPL license.

ASCO has been designed to address problems that are particular of electric circuits. Although not limited, some possible applications can include:

• Fully redesign a new circuit described in a SPICE netlist.
• Reuse, optimize an existing circuit.
• Migrate an existing and working design to a more advanced semiconductor technology process effortlessly.
• Increase the robustness and yield of an already designed circuit by guaranteeing that it comply with all design goals and constraints in some/all process corners at will.
• Easily explore a new operating point (design space) for an already existing topology, to reduce power consumption, area or both.
• Look for a feasible new design topology before investing a considerable time trying to derive equations that describe its operation.

• Read more from the editor.

Related discussions

Bookmark or publize