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PathWave Design Software
Formerly known as Keysight EEsof EDA
Chapter 1:
Getting Started with PathWave Advanced Design System (ADS)
This Tutorial will introduce the basic structure of PathWave ADS workspaces,
libraries and cells. This includes design capture, simulation, and displaying simulation
results
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. Figure 1 below shows how PathWave ADS organizes each workspace.
Workspaces
Different than a project, a workspace give
you access to libraries that contain cells,
where the cells contain designs.
Libraries
In a workspace, libraries are a collection of
cells. But libraries can also be Process
Design Kits (PDKs) or separate folders
outside of the workspace.
Cells
Cells are folders that replace design files in the old networks directory. Cells are in
libraries and usually contain different views of a design- this means layouts,
schematics and a symbol.
Symbols
The symbol represents all views in the cell. Usually one symbol is all you need for a cell.
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Workspaces in ADS 2011 and later replace projects from earlier ADS versions.
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Understanding these concepts is key to using ADS 2011 and later effectively.
Figure 1. Workspace-Library Hierarchy
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Step 1 Create a New Workspace
1. Launch PathWave ADS and open the PathWave ADS main window select File > New > Workspace.
Enter workspace name as desired in the dialog box shown in Figure 2, please note that the workspace
name and path
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to the workspace location should not contain any spaces. Please note that changes to
your PathWave ADS libraries can be completed by investigating the Change Libraries… button, the
PathWave ADS Analog/RF and PathWave ADS DSP Libraries are included by default. Once you are
satisfied with your workspace name, path, and libraries, click Create Workspace.
Figure 2. New Workspace Dialog Box
2. Once you complete the setup wizard, you will end up with a screen that looks like Figure 3. This is
where your PathWave ADS journey begins.
Figure 3. Main PathWave ADS Window
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The default path in PathWave ADS is C:\Users\<Current_User>