Symbolic Methods in Analog Circuit Design

Ralf Sommer, Eckhard Hennig

Date: July 19th (Friday)
Time: 08:30-09:10
Abstract
This presentation will give an introduction to the computer-aided approach to the analysis and design of analog electronic circuits. At the beginning, typical engineering tasks will be characterized by several examples, and their mathematical background will be formulated. This will include different techniques for setting up circuit equations. Hence, network elements and their characteristics as well as Kirchhoff laws will be covered. Then the symbolic formulation of analysis and design equations will be looked into.

Special attention will be attached to the problem of solving the equations since the explosion of terms in the solutions is the main problem in symbolic circuit analysis. Three fundamental approaches for the automated approximation of circuit transfer function and circuit equations will be presented which allow for the extraction of dominant circuit behaviour - linear and even nonlinear. These approximation strategies are based on combining symbolic and numeric information: They hold the key for gaining insight in how circuits work, and the obtained results may even be used for the generation of sizing formulas. From a mathematical point of view these new mixed symbolic-numerical approximation strategies open up a large field of unsolved problems.

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