Many methods for analog circuit sizing are available as commercial, in-house and academic tools. They are based on continuous optimization, e.g., of transistor geometries, although the subsequent layout step requires values on a pre-defined grid. In addition, sizing of transistors for bipolar and RF circuits frequently necessitates the use of multiples of predefined values for the design parameters. This paper presents a novel method for solving this type of discrete optimization problem. An iterative approach is presented, which is based on pseudo-gradients and a randomized calculation of search regions and steps. Experimental comparisons with simulated annealing and a continuous sizing approach with subsequent discretization clearly show the effectivity and efficiency of the presented method.
Keywords:
Analog circuits, Optimisation methods, Circuit sizing, Bipolar circuits
@inproceedings{Pehl_RandomPseudogradientApproach_2008,
author = {Pehl, Michael and Massier, Tobias and Gr{\"a}b, Helmut E. and Schlichtmann, Ulf},
title = {A Random and Pseudo-gradient Approach for Analog Circuit Sizing with Non-uniformly Discretized Parameters},
year = {2009},
month = jan,
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2008 IEEE International Conference on Computer Design},
isbn = {978-1-4244-2657-7},
publisher = {IEEE},
address = {Squaw Creek, CA, US},
pages = {188--193},
doi = {10.1109/ICCD.2008.4751860},
keywords = {Analog circuits, Optimisation methods, Circuit sizing, Bipolar circuits},
}
@inproceedings{Pehl_RandomPseudogradientApproach_2008,
author = {Pehl, Michael and Massier, Tobias and Gr{\"a}b, Helmut E. and Schlichtmann, Ulf},
title = {A Random and Pseudo-gradient Approach for Analog Circuit Sizing with Non-uniformly Discretized Parameters},
date = {2009-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2008 IEEE International Conference on Computer Design},
isbn = {978-1-4244-2657-7},
publisher = {IEEE},
location = {Squaw Creek, CA, US},
pages = {188--193},
doi = {10.1109/ICCD.2008.4751860},
keywords = {Analog circuits, Optimisation methods, Circuit sizing, Bipolar circuits},
}