A new hardware abstraction-based framework to cope with analog design challenges

Recent years have been marked by the emergence of a wide variety of communication standards. The prevailing tendency is for global network convergence and wireless ubiquity. However, this leads to challenging design issues that have to be surmounted. Design methodologies and computer-aided design (CAD) tools currently in use suffer from significant shortcomings especially in radio-frequency (RF) microelectronics. Dependence of the design process on the underlying technology and the absence of high-level abstractions do not help designers. In this context, we propose in this paper a new design framework based on hardware abstraction in order to enhance design reliability and efficiency. Then, we discuss how this design framework can be a suitable response to the lacks of the conventional design schemes in RF and microelectronic systems.