Product Overview

Dedicated to simulation analysis, Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator introduces modernized concepts breaking the traditional approach of circuit modeling. In part to its parallel scalability, the Xyce code is regularly used to model digital circuits at the analog (transistor) level to evaluate performance of large integrated-circuits. Xyce can be coupled with digital simulators to perform mixed-signal analysis. Furthermore, Xyce’s unique features enables users to simulate circuits of unprecedented size as well as address possible solutions to critical numerical kernels such as improved time-stepping algorithms and controls, better convergence of the nonlinear solver, and improved device models.

For more information, please visit the Xyce website.

Product Highlights

• Size - Capability to solve extremely large circuit problems by supporting large-scale parallel computing platforms (up to thousands of processors). Note that this includes support for most popular parallel and serial computers.
• Speed & Robustness - Improved performance for all numerical kernels (e.g., time integrator, linear solver) through utilization of Sandia’s algorithms and solver libraries
• Flexibility - Support for modeling circuit phenomena at a variety of abstraction levels (device, analog, digital and mixed-signal) in a rigorous and tightly coupled manner, allowing for timely, full-system solutions.
• Portability - A client-server or multi-tiered operating model, wherein the numerical kernel can operate distinct from the simulation interface (GUI).
• Maintainability - Object-oriented code design and implementation using modern coding-practices that ensure that the Xyce™ Parallel Electronic Simulator will be maintainable and extensible far into the future.
• Accuracy - Rigorously verified and validated code and device-model implementations for regimes of interest to Sandia customers.

Predictive Radiation-Aware Devices
Provides a physics-based model of photocurrent effects from high-intensity ionizing radiation. Physics Based Device Radiation Models have been developed for Xyce™ in support of W76-1 LEP and electrical response to gamma and neutron radiation. This project is oriented toward physics-based constitutive electrical device models for use in simulations of all weapon electrical systems (WES) in the active stockpile. These systems include W76, W80, B61, W78, W88, W87 and the B83.

Massively Parallel
Allow the simulation of large circuits and electrical systems at a level of fidelity not previously available. This fidelity is required to capture the impact of environmental effects (e.g., radiation, temperature) on, in particular, digital circuits such as ASICs.

Multi-Time PDE
For circuits with quasi-periodic signals (e.g., firing-set charging circuits), this numerical algorithm introduces artificial time scales and recasts the original DAE as PDE in time. Can result in speedup of over 100x for these types of problems. Furthermore, it provides for parallelization in the artificial time directions providing for a minimum of an additional 10x speedup.

Adjoint Sensitivity/Optimization
Xyce has the capability to do "fast", intrusive sensitivity and optimization analysis of electrical problems via adjoint and direct methods The current capability allows the user to do rapid gradient-based optimization over a large parameter space, with all the optimization parameters varied simultaneously. This capability has been applied to both the analog, SPICE-style devices, as well as mesh-based PDE devices. It can be used to assist parameter extraction and for optimizing device geometry for radiation hardness.

Mixed Digital/Analog Simulation
Parallel mixed-signal simulation would allow electrical systems designers to more fully characterize weapons embedded electrical systems. Designers would be able to incorporate environmental (e.g. radiation) effects via analog simulation of key sensitive components, and they could avoid costly systems integration problems such as those that occurred during development of the B61 Trajectory Sensing Signal Generator (TSSG) ASIC by identifying these problems earlier in the design cycle.

Adaptive Checkpointing/Restart
This particular feature provides the option of job restart as a result of instabilities in the convergence behavior or platforms which may cause interruptions for long simulation runs. Checkpoint interval may be varied through the run to better adapt to the circuit dynamics.