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PathWave Design Software
Formerly known as Keysight EEsof EDA
Chapter 5: RF System Design
Keysight PathWave Advanced Design System (ADS) provides all the necessary capabilities to perform
RF system design and simulations. RF system design is an important and critical step to validate the
system performance for first pass success. RF system architecture can be implemented using RF
System models available in the Analog/RF library.
Receiver System Design
1. Create a new workspace Lab5_RF_System_Design_wrk and open a new schematic cell and name
it as Lab5a_RFSystemDesign.
2. Place Amp and Mixer2 from the System-Amps & Mixers component library palette menu and set
their characteristics as shown in Figure 1.
3. Place the Chebyshev Bandpass filter component at the Mixer output from FiltersBandpass
component library palette menu and set its characteristics as illustrated.
4. Copy and paste the Amplifier twice after the BPF component and change the following
specifications (these will be used as 2-stage IF Amplifiers).
-TOI=20, SOI=30, NF=3 dB
5. Copy Once completed, the schematic will look similar to the one shown in Figure 1.
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6. Now, our job remaining is to connect the RF and LO sources and setup the simulation to observe
the system response. Place P_1Tone and Osc source from the Sources-Freq Domain library and
set their characteristics as illustrated (Notice the PhaseNoise list in the Osc source.). Connect them
as shown in Figure 2.
7. Place the HB simulation controller from the Simulation-HB library and set its characteristics as show
below.
8. Place a Term component at the output (after the 2nd IF amplifier) and click Wire Label and
enter “vout” in the pop-up window and click the “+” terminal of the Term component.
9. Once completed the receiver system diagram would look as follows:
10. Save the design and click the Simulate icon. Insert a rectangular plot in the data display window,
add “vout” from the measurement list and select “Spectrum in dBm” to observe the output spectrum.
Figure 1. Schematic shape
Figure 2. Schematic