In recent years there has been a growing interest in electronic design automation methodologies for the optimization-based design of radio frequency (RF) circuits and systems. While for simple circuits several successful methodologies have been proposed, these very same methodologies exhibit significant deficiencies when the complexity of the circuit is increased. The majority of the published methodologies that can tackle RF systems are either based on high-level system specification tools or use models to estimate the system performances. Hence, such approaches do not usually provide the desired accuracy for RF systems. In this paper, a methodology based on hierarchical multilevel bottom-up design approaches is presented, where multiobjective optimization algorithms are used to design an entire RF system from the passive component level up to the system level. Furthermore, each level of the hierarchy is simulated with the highest accuracy possible: electromagnetic simulation accuracy at device-level and electrical simulations at circuit/system-level.

In this paper, an analysis of the methodologies proposed in the past years to automate the synthesis of radio-frequency (RF) integrated circuit blocks is presented. In the light of this analysis, and to avoid nonsystematic iterations between sizing and layout design steps, a multiobjective optimization-based layout-aware sizing approach with preoptimized integrated inductor(s) design space is proposed. An automatic layout generation from netlist to ready-to-fabricate prototype is carried in-the-loop for each tentative sizing solution using an RF-specific module generator, template-based placer and evolutionary multinet router with preoptimized interconnect widths. The proposed approach exploits the full capabilities of the most established computer-aided design tools for RF design available nowadays, i.e., RF circuit simulator as performance evaluator, electromagnetic simulator for inductor characterization, and layout extractor to determine the complete circuit layout parasitics. Experiments are conducted over a widely used circuit in the RF context, showing the advantages of performing complete layout-aware sizing optimization from the very initial stages of the design process.

A new design methodology for radiofrequency circuits is presented that includes electromagnetic (EM) simulation of the inductors into the optimization flow. This is achieved by previously generating the Pareto-optimal front (POF) of the inductors using EM simulation. Inductors are selected from the Pareto front and their S-parameter matrix is included in the circuit netlist that is simulated using an RF simulator. Generating the EM-simulated POF of inductors is computationally expensive, but once generated, it can be used for any circuit design. The methodology is illustrated both for a singleobjective and a multiobjective optimization of a low noise amplifier.

In this paper, a new methodology for the automated generation of the optimal performance trade-offs of integrated inductors is presented. The methodology combines a multiobjective optimization algorithm with electromagnetic simulation to get highly accurate results. A set of sized inductors is obtained showing the best performance trade-offs for a given technology. Unlike reported approaches for inductor synthesis, performance trade-offs are generated offline, i.e., before any specific inductance or quality factor are required. The tight efficiency versus accuracy trade-off of existing approaches is, in this way, avoided and performance evaluation via electromagnetic simulation becomes affordable.