Since many people dont have the $ or the acess to good tools at work
i have taken the time to put together some recomendations for free or
low cost tools to make life easier ! be aware that most tools listed
are for non commercial use only !
1.) Ansoft Designer SV
Good subset of a commercial high $ package, covers layout and EM
Simulation (planar EM ), what im missing is a optimizer function but
has tune function to make up for it, good model database, lots of
models and substrates ! FREE
2.) EM3DS 2.5D EM Simulator, italian company has a freeware version
for download thats limited in size but still usefull.
3.) WIPL-D 3D EM Simulator, freeware version, full version
reasonably priced !
4.) Sonnet Lite
One of the best known names in EM Simulation, very easy to use
tool, several levels of licensing from free version over a $499
version to $$$$$, good tool !
5.) Genesis (Eagleware elanix)
Good starter tool , low cost , worth the money for possible trade
up against MWO !
6.) Quartus Webpack
FPGA Design tools, altera lately added almost all megafunctions
and devices except of a few very high end Stratix devices to the
webpack ! FREE Software
7.) XILINX Webpack
Free
A few words to Microwave CAE, every program is only as good as its
models and the circuit description you provide ! if you design an
amplifier and dont add your ground vias for the source terminals to
your netlist you will never see the light ! linear simulators also
never account for lids and housings effects like those are best
simulated with a EM Simulator tool !
Last but not least you get what you pay for however the advantages of
a high $ product will not show in the low frequency regions, if you
design 3 or 6GHz stuff Genesis will do you as well as ADS or MWO if
you get higher you will quickly feel the pain ! having driven almost
anything from Eagleware over ADS to MWO i can speak out of
experience.
