December 18, 2008 -- Agilent Technologies, Inc. today announced a nonlinear-modeling-technique for components such as amplifiers and transistors that are commonly used in the wireless and aerospace defense industries. The X-parameters can be generated either from simulation with the company’s Advanced Design System (ADS) EDA software or from Agilent’s test and measurement instruments, for faster communications-product development.

In the past, designers could not accurately measure, display and simulate the full amplitude and phase information of each spectral component in nonlinear designs. They also did not have access to a highly accurate nonlinear behavioral model that fully characterizes and describes the nonlinear behavior of their devices. Now, X-parameters make it simple to capture nonlinear behavior with the same ease and accuracy as measuring or simulating linear S-parameters. Agilent’s new patent-pending X-parameter technology lets designers capture the nonlinear behavior of active components such as amplifiers and transistors and save them in transportable RF intellectual property for use in RF system or circuit designs in ADS.

The Advanced Design System enables X-parameter nonlinear model generation from simulation, allowing design houses to create nonlinear X-parameter models of their RFIC and MMIC; power amplifier modules (PAMs); front-end modules (FEMs); and multiport devices such as mixers. This lets RF and microwave system designers fully characterize systems early in the design cycle and before the hardware is fabricated. X-parameter models protect the intellectual property from which they are generated while retaining the full nonlinear characteristics to share with circuit and system design partners.

"System integrators can quickly simulate X-parameter RF modules and provide fast feedback to component suppliers before hardware is committed," said Jack Sifri, Product Marketing Manager with Agilent’s EEsof EDA division. "This represents a potential design-house savings of at least $1 million in reduced IC foundry turns and development costs, along with months of savings in development cycle time. The X-parameters provide a compact language with which to communicate and simulate nonlinear characteristics accurately with full IP protection."