Model Assignments for Signal Integrity Analyzer

once you have the required model, make sure it is in a form compatible with altium designer. (spice3f5, xspice, pspice)

model conversion: converting models into the required format require the user manuals for the source and target.

linking the model to a schematic component:

to create a new simulation-ready device, start by creating a schematic library component for the device using the schematic library editor
to add a link to the simulation model file, add a simulation model link to the component by:
1. in the models region of the editor’s main design window, click the drop-down arrow and choose simulation from the list of models
2. OR in the models region of the schematic library panel, click the add button and choose simulation as the model type in the add new model dialog
3. OR use the model manager dialog (tools > model manager). select the entry for the component, click the drop-down associated with the add button, and choose simulation
after adding the simulation model link you will need to configure the link. you will be taken to the sim model dialog to configure the link to the required simulation model
1. specifying the model - the model kind and model sub-kind fields need to be set according to the particular model type. the model kind drop-down gives access to a number of model categories in the analog device models built into SPICE. the model sub-kind lists all model types in the corresponding category
2. many built-in SPICE models do not require a model file. definition is made by setting the required values for model parameters at the component-level. the following is a list of device models that support the use of an associated model file which can contain a variety of parameters used to model advanced characteristics of the device:
  1. Current Source\Piecewise Linear
  2. General\Capacitor(Semiconductor)
  3. General\Diode
  4. General\Resistor(Semiconductor)
  5. Switch\Current-Controlled
  6. Switch\Voltage-Controlled
  7. Transistor\BJT
  8. Transistor\JFET
  9. Transistor\MESFET
  10. Transistor\MOSFET
  11. Transmission Line\Lossy
  12. Transmission Line\Uniform Distributed RC
  13. Voltage Source\Piecewise Linear.
3. if you are linking a spice3f5 model, select the model kind and sub-kind as per the list above. the spice prefix field will be set automatically
the netlist template
1. the netlist template allows access to the information that is entered into the xspice netlist for a given component. access it by clicking on the netlist template tab at the bottom of the sim model dialog.
2. it is read-only for the predefined spice3f5 models. if these do not allow enough control over the information, you can define your own (this is required for certain model types)
  1. set model kind to general and model sub-kind to generic editor
altium designer also offers support for pspice models. these are the pspice models supported:
1. Capacitor
2. Resistor
3. Diode
4. Inductor
5. Current-Controlled Switch
6. Voltage-Controlled Switch
7. Voltage-Controlled Voltage Source
8. Voltage-Controlled Current Source
9. Current-Controlled Voltage Source
10. Current-Controlled Current Source
11. Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)
12. Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET)
13. Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET)
select the model kind and sub-kind as you would for the spice3f5 models (with exceptions of resistor, inductor and voltage and current sources – you will need to set the model kind to general and the sub-kind to generic editor to enter the applicable netlist template format)
to link to a digital simcode model
1. this is a special descriptive language that allows digital devices to be simulated using an extended version of the event-driven xspice
2. the schematic component is linked to the simcode model by using an intermediate model file (*.mdl) - this calls the simcode description from within its .model line
3. in the sim model dialog, make sure the model kind is set to general, the sub-kind is set to generic editor and the spice prefix is set to A
4. you will need to enter the netlist template specific to the digital device being modeled
specifying model name
1. use the model name field in the sim model dialog to specify the name of the model to which you are linking
specifying model location
1. use the model location region of the sim model dialog to control where the model is searched for
  1. any - searches all valid model locations for a match]
  2. in file - only searched for a match along all valid model locations
  3. full path - only searched fora a match in the specified file along the specified path
  4. in integrated lib - draws the model from the integrated library used to place the component instance
mapping the ports
1. after the model file is linked to the schematic component, ensure the pins of the schematic component are correctly mapped to the pins of the model – port map tab of the sim model dialog
2. the function of each pin in a model can be found in the general form of the model (spice3f5)
3. for subcircuit models, the manufacturer will typically insert comments for each pin of the model, describing their function
defining component-level parameters
1. for built in spice3f5, supported pspice and subcircuit model kinds, the available parameters will automatically be listed. when linking models using generic editor, you need to add applicable parameters
2. for some built-in spice3f5 models, entering a value for a parameter at the component level will override a related parameter defined in a linked model file
3. if a parameter is specified at the component level for a subcircuit model, the value will override the value defined for it in the linked subcircuit
4. if a parameter is specified at the component level for a digital device, the value will override the value specified for the parameter in the simcode definition
linking from an external database
1. altium allows the ability to place components from a company database by creating a database library (*.dblib). placement is carried out from the libraries panel, which after installing the database library acts as a browser into your database
2. the model and parameter information for a component is stored as part of the record definition for that component in the external database
3. the referenced schematic component is an empty shell with only a defined symbol. there are no linked models or defined design parameters. when the component is placed, the parameter and model information is created using the corresponding fields in the matched database record
4. you can add simulation model information to a component record in the external database. after placement on the schematic, the information is used to create the link to the referenced simulation model
adding sim information to an external database table
1. the database fields can be added to an external database table in order to define the simulation model link - created upon component placement
2. if the field names are named exactly as indicated, the database field-to-design parameter mapping will be automatically set on the field mappings tab of the dblib file
3. simulation information must be entered manually into the external database
4. sim model name
  1. create this in the database to specify the name of the model you wish to use
5. sim description
  1. create this field if you want to provide a description for the linked model (optional)
6. sim file
  1. create this field in the database if you want to specify a particular model file in which to find the simulation model specified in the sim model name field:
    1. you can enter an absolute path to a model file - searched and used if found
    2. you can enter a relative path - searched within this file and used if found
    3. you can enter the model filename only - search paths defined as part of the dblib file will be used to locate the first model file that matches the specified name and contains a match for the model specified in the sim model name field
    4. you can leave it blank
7. sim kind
  1. create this field in the database to specify the parent category for the model being linked to - corresponds to the model kind field on the model kind tab of the sim model dialog
8. sim sub-kind
  1. create this field in the database to specify the type of model being linked to - corresponds to the model sub-kind field
9. sim netlist
  1. create this field in the database to enter the netlist template information - **this becomes especially important if you are specifying your own netlist template
10. sim spice prefix
  1. create this field in the database to specify the spice prefix for the model type you are linking to - corresponds to the spice prefix
11. sim port map
  1. create this field in the database to specify the mapping of pins from the schematic component to the pins of the linked model - after the component is placed, this information will appear on the port map of the sim model dialog
12. sim excluded parts
  1. create this in the database if you want to exclude certain parts of a multi-part component from being simulated - corresponds to exclude part from simulation option on the port map tab of the sim model
    1. by default, all parts of a multi-part component are included in a simulation, so you only need to specify the parts you wish to exclude by number
13. sim parameters
  1. create this field in the database if you want to assign values to simulation parameters for the model - these are parameters that can be defined at the component-level, as opposed to the more advanced parameters that can be included in a model file
  2. a component-level simulation parameter can also be set as a component parameter
  3. by default, a parameter entry in the sim parameters field will be automatically added as a component parameter - if you don’t want this, add an exclamation mark prefix to the parameter name
checking the link
1. once you placed the component from the database library, double-click on the placed component to access its associated component properties dialog. in the models region of the dialog, double-click on the simulation model entry to access the sim model dialog where you can check:
  1. any linked model file has been located as expected
  2. the remaining simulation information from the database has been added to the dialog as expected
maintaining the link
1. after placement, the chosen key parameter in the dblib file is used to ensure that the placed component in the schematic retains its link to the corresponding record for that component in the external database - at any stage in the future, changes to parameter and model information in the database can be passed back to the placed component
2. component design parameters can be updated using either the update parameters from database or update from libraries - both available from → schematic editior’s main tools menu (update of the simulation link information if latter is used)
3. update process considers the information for the link only. when the model link involves any associated model file (*.mdl, *.ckt), any changes (definitions, parameter values, expressions) required must be made within the file. these changes can be checked from the model file tab of the sim model dialog.

https://techdocs.altium.com/display/AMSE/Linking+a+Simulation+Model+to+a+Schematic+Component