Implementing OCEAN scripts in RF circuit design

Impedance matching is present in every radio frequency (RF) integrated circuit (IC). Matching networks are implemented in receiver, transmitter and inter-stage circuits. At lower carrier frequencies the significance of impedance matching networks is far less than at higher frequencies. As modern RF systems tend to employ higher carrier frequencies, the topic of impedance matching becomes more and more essential. A thoroughly designed matching network can significantly improve the parameters of a RF circuit block at a given frequency. Various software tools have been created in order to address this issue, but no such tool exists within the Cadence design environment. This paper proposes an impedance matching OCEAN script which operates within the Cadence design environment. The proposed script greatly simplifies matching network calculations for both single-ended and differential L-type, PI-type and T-type matching networks. As a result, the IC designer can experiment with as many possible matching network configurations without focusing their efforts on hand calculations.