Subject description
Many bachelor courses in electrical engineering rely on analog circuit simulation tools. Therefore students are familiar with a software tool carrying the acronym SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) in its name. All tools from this family have a common ancestor and share the same internal mathematical apparatus. The basic purpose of SPICE tools is to facilitate modern chip manufacturing. At the same time, these tools are useful for studying analog electronic circuits in general, since their simplified versions are user friendly and visually efficient.
This course is about numerical methods inside any SPICE tool. The lab work consists of advanced circuit simulation cases on SPICE OPUS, which has been developed at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Ljubljana and is freely available to students at http://www.spiceopus.si. You can certainly use a circuit simulator without understanding its mathematical background, just as you can drive a car without knowing what is going on under the hood. However, for analog circuit design on the master level the understanding of the inner workings of SPICE is priceless.
The subject is taught in programs
Objectives and competences
Understanding numerical methods for analog circuit analysis. Understanding basic principles of parameter optimization. Practical hands-on laboratory work experience with SPICE OPUS analog circuit design tools.
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures, discussion groups, laboratory project work (group and individual).
Expected study results
Upon successful completion of this course, the students should be able to:
- mathematically derive an equation set representing any given linear circuit,
- mathematically derive iterative methods for solving nonlinear circuits,
- mathematically derive integration algorithms for solving dynamic circuits,
- explain the basic notion of parameter optimization of analog circuits,
- analyze any given medium complex analog circuit with SPICE OPUS in a limited amount of time,
- perform complex corner analysis of any given analog circuit by using the scripting language NUTMEG.
Basic sources and literature
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TUMA, Tadej, BÜRMEN, Arpad. Circuit simulation with SPICE OPUS : theory and practice, (Modeling and simulation in science, engineering and technology). Boston; Basel; Berlin: Birkhäuser, cop. 2009.
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TUMA, Tadej. Circuit Analysis and Optimisation. Zapiski predavanj 2024 (PDF datoteka), 67 str.
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Spletna stran programskega orodja www.spiceopus.si
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University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering Tržaška cesta 25, 1000 Ljubljana