Mentor Graphics Tutorial

EE610 Prepared by HIMANSHU & ANUJ

To start Mentor Graphics

right click on desktop click on open terminal csh mkdir ~/mentor_designs
last command Required only for first time

To use Mentor Graphics

csh cd mentor_designs source /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.csh icstudio&

Mentor Graphics icstudio GUI will open

initially the screen will look like

Click on File Then New Then Project You will get following window

02

 Press Next button to continue Give appropriate name to your project

03

 Again press the Next button Now press Open Library List Editor... button

04

 Then click Edit Menu button Select Add MGC Design Kit... option There select /cad/Mentor_tools/ADK_3.1

Then a row named MGC_DESIGN_KIT will be added to the entries

 Now again press Edit Menu button Then select Add Standard MGC Libraries then more 5 libraries would be added to entries

 Now press New Row button thrice to add 3 new rows & fill them as follows (you can add rows by browsing appropriate location upto mgc_icstd_lib & then write name of perticular library)
MGC_IC_COMMLIB MGC_IC_COMMLIB_QS MGC_IC_COMMLIB_RF /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/mgc_ic_commlib /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/mgc_ic_comm_qs /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/mgc_ic_comm_rf

There must be 9 entries as follows

MGC_DESIGN_KIT MGC_IC_GENERIC_LIB MGC_IC_DEVICE_LIB MGC_IC_SOURCES_LIB MGC_IC_VERILOG_LIB MGC_IC_MICROLIB MGC_IC_COMMLIB MGC_IC_COMMLIB_QS MGC_IC_COMMLIB_RF /cad/Mentor_tools/ADK_3.1 /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/generic_lib /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/device_lib /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/sources_lib /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/mgc_ic_verilog /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/mgc_ic_microlib /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/mgc_ic_commlib /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/mgc_ic_comm_qs /cad/Mentor_tools/ICFlow/2008.2o/2008.2o_linux_x86_64 /icflow_home/mgc_icstd_lib/mgc_ic_comm_rf

Press OK

Press Next Press Open Settings Editor There you must fill the entries as follows
Process File DRC Rules File LVS File PEX Rules Files /cad/Mentor_tools/ADK_3.1/technology/ic/process/<technology name> /cad/Mentor_tools/ADK_3.1/technology/ic/process/<technology name>.rules /cad/Mentor_tools/ADK_3.1/technology/ic/process/<technology name>.calibre.rules /cad/Mentor_tools/ADK_3.1/technology/ic/process/<technology name>.calibre.rules

*Leave SDL rules file entry empty *<technology name> are ami05(0.5m), tsmc018(180nm)

 Press OK Then Next Then Finish

 Now including the libraries is over our screen will look like...

 Now we can built the circuit To do this we have create new Library Right click within Library space & select New Library Give appropriate name to the library & press OK

Select the created Library Right click within the Cell area Select New Cell View Enter Appropriate cell name To built the circuit, select View Type as Schematic View Name would automatically become Schematic Press Finish

 To place devices select Library on side panel Then Device Lib Let us put 4-pin NMOS

 Now select the device, right click over it & click over word Properties but not on arrow in front Select the entry ASIM_MODEL & change the value NCH to N Click apply As per requirement we can also modify other attributes of NMOS like W, L etc. Finally press OK

 Similarly place other devices like PMOS Also through its properties make its ASIM_MODEL as P from PCH

 Place VDD, GND etc through Generic Lib inside libraries on side panel Various sources can be placed through Sources Lib

 The value of the source can be modified by selecting it, then right click on it, through properties The small branch at the side of circuit is to define VDD

 Press W to place the wire Make appropriate connections

 Now we have to add ports Ports are of 3 types- portin, portout, portbi through ports only we can vary or sweep the signal Ports list available on left sidebar Place portin wherever we need to apply input signal Place portout wherever we need to take output By default name of each port is NET

 To change the name of the port select the point on port, right click & select properties Give appropriate name to the port

 Now our circuit is ready for simulation

SIMULATION
Click Simulation on right side panel Press New Configuration Select AMS_Simulation & press OK Select default (if any other configuration comes again press New Configuration and repeat the step) Press OK

 Now we have to include Library(model) using which we are simulating our circuit For this select ADK Sim Palette on right sidebar Select Library & include appropriate model file (level1 or BSIM3) Press OK Again press Default Sim Palette

 Now we have to Force the Input ports Forcing means applying appropriate input signal to input port Select Forces from right sidebar & click manager Now select the name of port which you want to force i.e. the ports to which we are applying input signals & select appropriate input signal set its attributes

 After correctly setting the appropriate attributes of the signal add the signal to Forces list by pressing add button

 Force will appear as...

 Now we have to set nature of analysis like AC, DC, Transient etc Click Analyses... on right sidebar & select appropriate one Then click on setup to enter detail of analysis Finally click OK

 For transient simulation we always put starting time as 0 Keep Stop time as per the requrements Max time step should be kept as low as possible to get higher accuracy but this leads to more simulation time

 Now before simulating we should store our input & output signals Select Setup, the Outputs Add all input & output signals to the list by clicking add button

 Now we can initiate simulation To initiate the simulation press button Run ELDO

 To view waveforms select View Waves & click on New Window Select correct analysis type & appropriate signals

 We can also put grids & cursor for measurements

DC Analysis
For DC analysis select DC from Analyses... Click on setup During DC analysis we can sweep any voltage signal between two values with proper voltage steps In shown example input voltage of the inverter has been swept from 0V to 3.3V & we got the proper output

 Similarly simulate the circuit using Run ELDO & observe the waveforms appropriately

 AC analysis basically provides the frequency response of the circuit For AC analysis we have to force the input signal as sinusoidal signal of appropriate magnitude

 Then we have to set the analysis as AC While setup we need to specify start & stop frequency Also we need to specify input port (where signal freq is varied) & output port where we saw the effect Similarly results are seen through View Waves

To finish the simulation press End Sim button Save your work Close the icstudio Then type exit in the terminal & press enter Again type exit & press enter