Tool · EDA Tools & Flows
Virtuoso
Cadence's custom and analog design platform, comprising schematic editor, layout editor, ADE simulation environment and the Spectre solver, all built on the OpenAccess database.
It is the dominant environment for analog, RF and custom digital work.
- Also known as
- Cadence Virtuoso, ADE
- Type
- Tool
- Domain
- EDA Tools & Flows, EDA industry
Notes
Virtuoso's incumbency is so strong that foundries ship analog PDKs in Virtuoso form first and other formats later, if at all.
Overview
Virtuoso is Cadence's platform for custom and analogue chip design, combining a schematic editor, a layout editor, the ADE environment for setting up and analysing simulations, and links to Cadence's Spectre circuit simulator. It is one of the most widely used environments for analogue, mixed-signal, radio frequency and custom digital design, and foundries commonly supply design kit content in Virtuoso form.
How it works
Designers draw circuits in the Virtuoso schematic editor using symbols from the foundry's design kit, then use ADE to set up simulations: corners, sweeps, Monte Carlo runs and measurements of gain, noise or timing, run in Spectre or another simulator. Results come back as waveforms and tables, and the same setups are reused through the project as the circuit changes.
Layout engineers then draw the physical design in the Virtuoso layout editor. Parameterised cells from the design kit generate correct transistor, resistor and capacitor layouts from their parameters, and schematic-driven layout keeps the layout connected to the schematic, so engineers can see which devices remain to be placed and wired. Designers check the result with physical verification tools from within Virtuoso, extract parasitics and re-simulate.
Virtuoso stores designs in the OpenAccess database, an open design database API maintained through the Si2 OpenAccess Coalition. Cadence now markets the platform as Virtuoso Studio. Foundries supply their PDKs with Virtuoso symbols, cells and technology files, which, together with the large base of existing designs and scripts, has made Virtuoso the default custom design environment for many companies.
Examples
- Designing an operational amplifier schematic and running corner simulations in ADE with Spectre.
- Laying out a matched differential pair with parameterised cells from the foundry PDK.
- Schematic-driven layout showing which devices of a data converter are still unplaced.
- A standard cell layout engineer drawing a new cell by hand in the layout editor.
- Running physical verification on a custom block from inside the layout editor.
Why it matters
Analogue, radio frequency, mixed-signal, memory and standard cell designers and layout engineers spend much of their working day in Virtuoso, and CAD teams maintain its design kits and scripts. Experience with it is commonly expected in custom design roles.
Related terms
Part of the EDA Tools & Flows glossary, with every term in the topic and the lifecycles, tools and standards that use them.
Where it appears on the Hub
Used on 51 pages of the Hub. In each group, the pages that mention it most come first.
Skills
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Last reviewed . Written by The Semiconductor Hub editorial team. The full glossary