-In this paper we propose a frequency-separation methodology to generate system-level macromodels for analog and RF circuits. The proposed macromodels are similar in form to those based on Volterra kernel calculations, but are much simpler in terms of characterization and overall model complexity, and can be derived from existing device models. This simplicity is realized by applying some basic assumptions on the form of the input excitations, and via separation of the nonlinearities from the dynamic behavior. In addition, by further separating the ideal model functionality, this macromodel is applicable to strongly nonlinear components such as mixers. While time-varying Volterra series models have been proposed for mixers with a fixed local oscillation (LO) signal, the proposed frequency separation model is completely general and can capture the variations of the LO input during a system-level simulation. The proposed macromodels are demonstrated in a system-level simulation tool based on Simulink for efficient evaluation of the entire RF system and associated components. A GSM receiver system in 0.25pm CMOS process is used to demonstrate the efficacy of these macromodels in our systemlevel simulation environment.

†Noise performance is a critical analog and RF circuit design constraint, and can impact the selection of the IC system-level architecture. It is therefore imperative that some model of the noise is represented at the highest levels of abstraction during the design process. In this paper we propose a noise macromodel for analog circuits and demonstrate it by way of implementation in a system level simulator based on MATLAB. We also explain our process of macromodel extraction via reformulation of frequency-domain noise analysis results, and the corresponding steps of model order reduction. The results demonstrate the efficacy of this macromodel for frequency domain system level simulation.

†Noise performance is a critical analog and RF circuit design constraint, and can impact the selection of the IC system-level architecture. It is therefore imperative that some model of the noise is represented at the highest levels of abstraction during the design process. In this paper we propose a noise macromodel for analog circuits and demonstrate it by way of implementation in a system level simulator based on MATLAB. We also explain our process of macromodel extraction via reformulation of frequency-domain noise analysis results, and the corresponding steps of model order reduction. The results demonstrate the efficacy of this macromodel for frequency domain system level simulation.