Using the ADS Design Kit Tools

This topic describes how to use the various tools provided in the DesignKit pull-down menu. The ADS DesignKit menu appears in your ADS Main window when you launch Advanced Design System.

If you have a design kit menu item available, but it is different than the one shown above, refer to Previous Versions of Design Kit Tools.

Where to Install a Design Kit

A design kit is a self contained library. It is a set of directories and files in a standard format. To support large companies with complex systems of CAD tools and design kits from many different vendors, as well as individual engineers on stand-alone systems, a design kit that is to be used in ADS can be installed anywhere on your system. It does not have to be connected to the ADS software installation. If your company does not already have a specified location to store design kits, it is recommended that a directory be created to hold all design kits in one location.

Understanding the 'ads.lib' File

Before using the design kit tools, some users, especially CAD managers, may find it helpful to understand the function of the ads.lib file. If you are not interested at this time, you can skip this section and proceed to Install ADS Design Kit.

The ads.lib file is a design kit control file that tells Advanced Design System which design kits to install. A template of this file is included in the design_kit subdirectory of the design kit directory structure.

When a design kit is installed, a copy of the records line of the template file is made and stored outside of the design kit at a specific LEVEL. The location (LEVEL) of the file controls who has access to the design kit when ADS is started, as described below.

The format for the records line of the ads.lib template file is a single line with 4 fields, separated by vertical bars.
kitname | path to design kit | path to kit boot file | kit version

The following table provides a description for each of the fields shown.

The ads.lib Fields

While it is not necessary for design kit use, you may find it helpful to understand certain characters used in the ads.lib file to specify comments and to disable a design kit.

• To insert a comment into the template ads.lib file, begin the line with a pound sign (#).
• To disable a design kit, begin the line with an exclamation point (!). The design kit will not be loaded by ADS, but the design kit setup dialog will still recognize it.

Ultimately, ads.lib files can exist in any of the locations listed in the following table. Note that each of these locations is referred to as a LEVEL in the ADS Design Kit user interface.

The ads.lib File Locations

With this capability, a user in a networked environment can have access to a specific design kit without exposing all engineers to it or without requiring the assistance of an administrator with root permissions to install it. Another benefit is that a site librarian can manage a set of libraries that are accessible to all engineers without any effort from the engineers. These are some typical ways that a system is configured.

Another way to use this multi-layered functionality is for an end user to have a set of ads.lib files in different directories that refer to different processes. By starting ADS in the proper directory, the related design kits will be loaded for that session. An advanced CAD manager may even choose to set up a system of scripts that controls the ads.lib files for the end user to further tailor the environment on the fly for a specific manufacturing process.

Note To start ADS from a specific directory on unix, cd to that directory. On a PC, multiple shortcuts can be created and the shortcut property Start in can be set to different startup directories.

If, however, all users on the network will only ever use one design kit at a time, the SITE LEVEL can be enabled by the CAD manager for all users by setting the DESIGN_KIT_LEVELS_ENABLED variable in $HPEESOF_DIR/custom/config/design_kit.cfg. Enter this line: DESIGN_KIT_LEVELS_ENABLED=SITE:USER:STARTUP: PROJECT or simply DESIGN_KIT_LEVELS_ENABLED=SITE if no user configurations are expected. The end user can always enable other levels without disabling the SITE level. A copy of design_kit.cfg in $HOME/hpeesof/config will be created and take precedence over those under $HPEESOF_DIR.

Note that if users have already been using the software and configuring design kits, they may have a local copy of design_kit.cfg with this variable defined already. In that case, adding the variable in $HPEESOF_DIR/custom/config/design_kit.cfg will have no effect. The variable must be modified at the user level, or removed from the user level in order for the site level to be used.

The SITE LEVEL by default is under $HPEESOF_DIR, the installation location of ADS. On a PC network, $HPEESOF_DIR might be on each individual machine. If this is the case, an alternate location can be specified as SITE LEVEL by setting DESIGN_KIT_SITE_PATH in design_kit.cfg in $HPEESOF_DIR/custom/config. For more information, refer to the table ADS Design Kit Variables.

The priority at startup is PROJECT LEVEL, STARTUP LEVEL, USER LEVEL and finally SITE LEVEL. If a design kit is listed in more than one level, those specified in the USER LEVEL will have precedence over those under SITE LEVEL, and those specified at STARTUP LEVEL will take precedence over those in the USER LEVEL. Additionally, each project directory (PROJECT LEVEL) may have its own ads.lib file. This file will be read when a project is opened, and any design kits specified in that file will be loaded. If a design kit by the same name is already open, it will be overwritten with the new information. Closing a project to open a different project will not uninstall design kits opened in that project since design kits cannot currently be uninstalled without restarting ADS.

Even though all design kits are intended to be able to coexist in ADS, there may be cases where this is not possible. Some older design kits may not comply with the standard format. Additionally, ADS has a requirement that all components have unique names in ADS, so names cannot be reused between design kits. If these types of problems are encountered, they can usually be overcome by enabling and disabling design kits as needed through the user interface or by manually editing ads.lib files and the design_kit.cfg file. Additionally, some custom AEL in older, non-standard design kits may have problems co-existing with the current built-in design kit software.

To fully disable a design kit, you need to close ADS. Some parts of a design kit cannot currently be disabled dynamically. Additionally, if design kit A is enabled in project Y and design kit B is enabled in project Z, closing project Y to open project Z will not disable design kit A. Since a design kit enabled at the project level of a closed project will not be visible in the setup dialog, open the list dialog to see a complete listing of all design kits that the system knows about.

Install ADS Design Kit

The Install ADS Design Kit dialog box enables you to unzip, define and install a new zipped ADS design kit.

To access the Install ADS Design Kit dialog box from the ADS Main window:

1. Choose DesignKit > Install Design Kits. The Install ADS Design Kit dialog box appears.

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Note All paths displayed in the design kit user interface use the backward slashes ().

Unzip ADS Design Kit

Step one of the Install ADS Design Kit dialog enables you to unzip a new design kit. If your new design kit is currently packaged in a .zip file, you will need to unzip the design kit in the appropriate location. If your design kit has already been unpackaged, skip to Define a Design Kit. If your design kit has not been unpackaged and is not distributed as a .zip file, refer to the installation instructions provided with the kit.

To unzip your new design kit:

1. Click Unzip Design Kit Now. The Unzip ADS Design Kit dialog box appears.
   
2. To specify the path and file name of the file you want to unzip, click Browse next to the Unzip File field. The Unzip From File Browse dialog box appears.
   
3. Double-click as needed to locate the directory containing your zipped file in the Directories field, then click the appropriate file in the Files field. Alternatively, you can enter the full path and file name in the Selection field.
4. After selecting the file you want to unzip, click OK. You are returned to the Unzip ADS Design Kit dialog box.
5. To specify the new location for the files you want to unzip, click Browse next to the To Directory field. The Unzip To Directory Browse dialog box appears.
   
6. Double-click as needed to locate the directory where you want your unzipped files to be located in the Directories field. Alternatively, you can enter the full path in the Selection field. If you are unsure of where to unzip your design kit, refer to Where to Install a Design Kit.
7. After selecting the directory in which to unzip your files, click OK. You are returned to the Unzip ADS Design Kit dialog box.
8. Click OK to unzip your design kit. An Information Message dialog reporting that the design kit was successfully unzipped appears after the unzip operation is complete.

A new directory containing your design kit is created in the location that was specified in the To Directory field of the Unzip ADS Design Kit dialog box. This new directory contains several subdirectories, typically including:

• circuit
• design_kit
• doc
• examples

Depending on your design kit, there may be additional subdirectories beyond those listed above. For detailed information on the contents of design kit directories, refer to the ADS Design Kit Development documentation.

Define a Design Kit

Step two of the Install ADS Design Kit dialog box enables you to view the design kit definition or define a new design kit. After the process in Unzip ADS Design Kit is complete, the Install ADS Design Kit dialog box is automatically updated with the design kit definition information. Since this information is defined by the vendor as part of the design kit, it should not be changed by the user or a CAD manager handling a SITE installation. Modifying this information may cause the design kit to be non-functional.

If your design kit was not distributed as a .zip file or was already unzipped, proceed to the next section.

Path and Name

To specify the path and name of the design kit you want to install:

1. Click Browse next to the Path field in the Install ADS Design Kit dialog box. The Select Design Kit Directory dialog box appears.
   
2. Double-click as needed to locate the directory containing your design kit in the Directories field. Alternatively, you can enter the full path in the Selection field.
3. After selecting the design kit directory, click OK. You are returned to the Install ADS Design Kit dialog box. The Path, Name, Boot File and Versions fields should now contain all data needed for the design kit to be installed.

   Note If the design kit being installed conforms to the ADS standard, it should have a name in the Name field. For some design kits created before ADS 2001, the Name field may not be filled in automatically and must be manually entered. If this is the case, there should be a README or installation file that contains the design kit name. Specify that name in the Name field.

Boot File (optional)

The Boot File is an optional file defined by the design kit developer and may contain either the absolute path and file name or a relative path and file name of the boot file for the design kit to be installed. A relative path is relative to the top level of the design kit. To specify an alternative boot file:

1. Click Browse next to the Boot File field in the Install ADS Design Kit dialog box. The Select Design Kit Boot File dialog box appears.
   
2. Double-click as needed to locate the directory containing the boot file for your design kit in the Directories field, then click the appropriate file in the Files field. Alternatively, you can enter the full path and file name in the Selection field. The boot file is typically located in the de/ael subdirectory of the design kit.
3. After selecting the boot file you want to use, click OK. You are returned to the Install ADS Design Kit dialog box. The Boot File field should now contain the absolute path and file name or relative path and file name of the new boot file for the design kit to be installed.

Version

The Version field should contain the version number for the design kit to be installed. This number is typically defined by the design kit developer and is used for tracking the design kit version for support. This field should remain as the vendor has set it and should not be modified.

If the version number was not defined, you may see an N/A in this field. You could specify or change the version number by entering a new number in the Version field; however, this is not recommended.

Note The version data can be any string of characters with the exception of the vertical bar.

Install Design Kit

Since a design kit can reside anywhere on your file system, for ADS to find it, it must be registered in a recognized file (ads.lib) in a standard location. This file (ads.lib) can reside in one of four locations referred to as a LEVEL. Step three of the Install ADS Design Kit dialog box enables you to specify the LEVEL at which to register or install the design kit. For more information on the ads.lib file, refer to Understanding the 'ads.lib' File.

The different levels displayed in the Select Installation Level drop-down menu depends on your write permissions at these levels. If you do not have write permission at the SITE LEVEL, you will not be able to select that option.
The levels can be:

• SITE LEVEL - Used to provide design kit capability for users in a networked environment.
• USER LEVEL - Used to provide design kit capability for an individual user so you can manage your own design kits.
• STARTUP LEVEL - Used to help you manage multiple design kits at different locations.
• PROJECT LEVEL - Used to manage design kits within an ADS project.

To select a level for your design kit:

1. Use the Select Installation Level drop-down menu to select an appropriate level for your design kit.
2. After selecting a level, click OK in the Install ADS Design Kit dialog to install and enable the design kit. An Information Message dialog stating that the design kit was successfully enabled appears.
3. Click OK to clear the Information Message dialog. Your design kit is now ready for use. However, it is recommended that you continue to Setup ADS Design Kits to learn how to use the setup tool for managing installed design kits. Also review the section Setup Project Technology Files to learn how to configure a project to use technology files (layers, preference and Momentum substrate files) from an enabled design kit.

   Note If an ADS Project is open, enabling a design kit will close all open designs and schematic and layout windows.

   
   To get started using your design kit, refer to Using an ADS Design Kit to Create a Schematic.

Setup ADS Design Kits

The Setup ADS Design Kits dialog box enables you to view or modify the installation status of each of the different levels and design kits available. Note that some changes made in this dialog may only be effective after ADS is re-started.

To access the Setup ADS Design Kits dialog box:

1. Choose DesignKit > Setup Design Kits. The ADS Design Kit Setup dialog box appears.
   
   Design Kits can be installed at four different levels from this dialog. The levels available depends on your write permission for each of these levels. The available levels are:
   • SITE LEVEL
   • USER LEVEL
   • STARTUP LEVEL
   • PROJECT LEVEL
2. By selecting one of the levels in the Setup ADS Design Kits dialog box, you can:
   • View the properties of a selected level - Note that as you click a level listed in the Overview section of the dialog, the Level Information in the View/Modify Properties section changes accordingly.
   • Enable or disable a selected level - You can click a level listed in the Overview section of the dialog and then click the Disable Level button below the Overview section. Note that the traffic light indicator next to the level you selected turns to yellow to indicate that the level is disabled. The Disable Level button toggles to Enable Level and can be clicked again to enable the level. When a level is disabled, the ads.lib file at that level will not be read the next time ADS is started, so design kits listed in that ads.lib file will not be enabled for that session.
   • Add a new design kit to the selected level - If you have the appropriate write permissions, you can click a level listed in the Overview section of the dialog and then use the Design Kit Information section of the dialog box to define the design kit properties. For more information on setting up the design kit properties, refer to Define a Design Kit. Once the properties are set up, click Add Design Kit to Level.
3. By selecting one of the design kit names under a level in the Setup ADS Design Kits dialog box, you can:
   • View the properties of the selected design kit - Once you click a design kit in the Overview section of the dialog box, the design kit properties are displayed in the Design Kit Information section of the dialog.
   • Update the properties of the selected design kit - If you have the appropriate write permissions, you can use the Design Kit Information section of the dialog box to update the properties of a selected design kit. For more information on the design kit properties, refer to Define a Design Kit.
   • Enable or disable the selected design kit - After clicking a design kit in the Overview section of the dialog box, you can click the Disable Design Kit button just below the Overview section. Note that the traffic light indicator next to the design kit you selected turns to yellow to indicate that the design kit is disabled. The Disable Design Kit button toggles to Enable Design Kit and can be clicked again to re-enable the design kit. A disabled design kit will not be completely cleared until the ADS session is exited. The traffic lights in the Overview section indicate the status of levels and design kits where green indicates enabled, yellow indicates disabled, and red indicates that there is an error or incorrect design kit properties.

     Note A design kit will only be properly installed and available for use if both the level and the design kit are enabled.

   • Copy or cut the selected design kit - After clicking a design kit in the Overview section of the dialog box, you can click the Cut or Copy buttons to remove, move or copy a design kit to a different level. After cutting or copying a design kit, click another level and use the Paste button to place the design kit under a different level.
4. Click Apply to apply the new settings or click the Reset button to undo all changes. You can also click Print to print a hardcopy of the design kit setup to your local printer.

   Note If an asterisk is displayed next to the level or design kit in the Overview section of the Setup ADS Design Kits dialog box, the settings in the current ADS session do not correspond with the display settings. ADS may need to be restarted for the settings to take effect. This is particularly true for disabling design kits since not all parts of a design kit can be dynamically disabled in ADS.

5. Click OK to save all settings and exit the Setup ADS Design Kits dialog box.

SITE LEVEL

The SITE LEVEL setup option is used to provide design kit capability for users in a networked environment. This option enables a site librarian or CAD manager to manage a set of libraries that are accessible to all engineers without any effort from the individual engineers.

By default, the SITE LEVEL is disabled so that if it contains a large number of design kits, they won't be all loaded when the end user starts ADS. The user should select only the design kits that he needs and use the copy and paste buttons in the design kit setup dialog to enable them at his USER LEVEL.

If all users at a site will only be using a single design kit, the SITE LEVEL can be enabled by the end user. It can be also be enabled by the CAD manager by setting DESIGN_KIT_LEVELS_ENABLED=SITE in $HPEESOF_DIR/custom/config/design_kit.cfg. Make sure this variable is not defined in $HOME/hpeesof/config/design_kit.cfg in this case.

By default, the SITE LEVEL ads.lib file is stored in $HPEESOF_DIR/custom/design_kit. An ads.lib file in this location on a networked system lists all the design kits that are available for all users. For more information on the ads.lib file, refer to Understanding the 'ads.lib' File.

On a PC network, $HPEESOF_DIR might be on each individual machine. If this is the case, an alternate location for a master ads.lib file can be specified as SITE LEVEL by setting DESIGN_KIT_SITE_PATH in design_kit.cfg. For more information, refer to ADS Design Kit Variables.

To view the SITE LEVEL information including ads.lib file location:

1. Choose DesignKit > Setup Design Kits. The ADS Design Kit Setup dialog box appears.
2. Click SITE LEVEL in the Overview section. This activates the Level Information section.

USER LEVEL

The USER LEVEL setup option is used to provide design kit capability for individuals working in a networked environment. This option enables you to easily manage your own design kits without the help of a CAD manager.

In a networked environment, a user will not be able to selectively enable individual design kits at the SITE LEVEL. To enable a subset of the design kits available at the SITE LEVEL, use the Copy and Paste buttons to copy each desired design kit entry from the SITE LEVEL to the USER LEVEL. Then disable the SITE LEVEL and enable the USER LEVEL.

The ads.lib file is stored under $HOME/hpeesof/design_kit. An ads.lib file in this location lists design kits that only the user has access to. For more information on the ads.lib file, refer to Understanding the 'ads.lib' File.

To view the USER LEVEL information including ads.lib file location:

1. Choose DesignKit > Setup Design Kits. The ADS Design Kit Setup dialog box appears.
2. Click USER LEVEL in the Overview section. This activates the Level Information section.

STARTUP LEVEL

The STARTUP LEVEL is used to help you manage multiple design kits at different locations. You can start ADS from a different directory, with a different shortcut on a PC, and by having a different ads.lib file in each possible startup directory, you can control which design kits are installed for each session of ADS.

The ads.lib file is stored under the designated startup directory. An ads.lib file in this location lists design kits that will only be available if ADS is started in this directory. For more information on the ads.lib file, refer to Understanding the 'ads.lib' File.

To view the STARTUP LEVEL information including ads.lib file location:

1. Choose DesignKit > Setup Design Kits. The ADS Design Kit Setup dialog box appears.
2. Click STARTUP LEVEL in the Overview section. This activates the Level Information section.

   Note To configure a second STARTUP design kit configuration, restart ADS in that directory and then define the design kit configuration.

PROJECT LEVEL

The PROJECT LEVEL is used to manage design kits within an ADS project.

The ads.lib file is stored under a designated project directory. An ads.lib file in this location is read when the project is opened. Any design kits listed in it will be made available for designs in the project. For more information on the ads.lib file, refer to Understanding the 'ads.lib' File. At this time, PROJECT LEVEL design kits are not disabled when the project is closed. ADS must be restarted to disable a design kit.

To view the PROJECT LEVEL information including ads.lib file location:

1. Choose DesignKit > Setup Design Kit. The ADS Design Kit Setup dialog box appears.
2. Click PROJECT LEVEL in the Overview section. This activates the Level Information section.

List ADS Design Kits

The List ADS Design Kits dialog box enables you to view a list of all currently available design kits and their status.

To view your design kits from the ADS Main window:

1. Choose DesignKit > List Design Kits. The List ADS Design Kits dialog box appears. Note that the initial list is a brief list showing only the design kit name, version and status.
   
2. Click the View Details checkbox to view the details for each installed kit. A scroll bar appears enabling you to scroll through the items in the expanded list.

Currently Installed Design Kits

The Currently Installed Design Kits section of the List ADS Design Kits dialog box provides specific information related to each of your design kits. The following table provides a description of each of the items listed in this section. You can use the slide-bar to view the details of each design kit.

List ADS Design Kit Overview

Changing Dialog Box Dimensions

You can use your cursor to manipulate some of the physical characteristics of the List ADS Design Kits dialog box. Try changing the width of each column in the Currently installed Design Kits section of the List ADS Design Kit dialog box by dragging the borders between the titles at the top of each column.

You can also use your cursor to expand the over-all size of the dialog box to reduce the need for scrolling through the Currently installed Design Kits section. Try grabbing the edge of the dialog box to expand it now. If you later want to save space on your desktop, you can grab the edge of the dialog box again and return the dialog to it's original size.

Enable Selected Design Kit

Design Kits that have been installed are kits that are recognized by Advanced Design System. A design kit that is recognized by ADS can be either enabled or disabled. If a design kit is enabled, it means that you can access and use the components. If a design kit is disabled, it is not available for use because:

• The Design Kit was not installed.
• The Design Kit was overloaded (more than one design kit with the same name is enabled, possibly at different levels).
• There was an error during the enabling process.

To enable a design kit that is currently disabled:

1. Click the disabled design kit that you want to enable in the Currently installed Design Kits section of the List ADS Design Kits dialog box. The Enable Selected Design Kit button is activated.
2. Click Enable Selected Design Kit in the List ADS Design Kits dialog box.

   Note If an ADS Project is open, enabling a design kit will close all open schematic and layout windows.

3. An information message dialog stating that the design kit was enabled in the current ADS session appears. A second message in the dialog appears asking if you want to enable the design kit by default at ADS startup. Choose yes to enable the design kit.

Save to File

You can save a list of the currently installed design kits to an ASCII text file in a specified location from the List ADS Design Kits dialog box.

To save the list of design kits and their current status,

1. Click the Save to File button. The Save Status As dialog box appears.
2. Double-click as needed to locate the directory to store your list of design kits in the Directories field. Alternatively, you can enter the full path in the Selection field.
3. Add the name of the file to the path in the Selection field.
4. After selecting the directory path and file name, click OK. You are returned to the List ADS Design Kit dialog box. An ASCII text (.txt) file is created in the location specified. The file contains the information related to each specific design kit in the Currently installed Design Kits displayed in the List ADS Design Kits dialog box.

Example list of design kits

=================================================================
Design Kits Levels
=================================================================
Level: SITE
 File location: $HPEESOF_DIR/custom/design_kit/ads.lib
 Default: enabled
Level: USER
 File location: $HOME/hpeesof/design_kit/ads.lib
 Default: enabled
Level: STARTUP
 File location: $HOME/ads.lib
 Default: enabled
Level: PROJECT
 File location: N/A
 Default: enabled
=================================================================
Design Kits
=================================================================
Design Kit: DemoKit_V2
 Path: $HOME/DKD/DemoKit_V2
 Boot file: de/ael/boot
 Version: 1.1
 Load level: USER
 Default: enabled
 Status: enabled
Design Kit: ABC_Design_Kit
 Path: $HOME/dk/foundryKits/abc_design_kit/
 Boot file: de/ael/boot
 Version: 2.0
 Load level: USER
 Default: disabled
 Status: disabled

Print

You can print a list of the currently installed design kits to a local printer from the List ADS Design Kits dialog box.

To print the list of design kits and their current status,

1. Click the *Print*button.

Setup Project Technology Files

The Setup Project Technology Files dialog box enables you to configure a project to use technology files from a specific design kit. The technology files which may be provided are layers files, preferences files and Momentum substrate files.

You can create a new project with the default technology as a design kit's technology, this can be set up from the ADS New Project dialog box and only needs to be done when the project is created and the design kit has already been installed. If you have a number of design kits enabled, you can only choose one default technology for your project at project creation. However, using the ADS New Design dialog box, you can set your design to use a different design kit's technology. This can be different from the one selected at project creation.

If your design kit's technology files, or any of your other technology sources, have been updated after you have created your new project (or design) with that technology, then you can select DesignKit > Setup Project from the ADS Main window to explicitly instruct the software to overwrite your existing project technology files with your updated technology source files. You can also use the Setup Project menu item to set a different technology as your default for the current project or you can copy in a new set of technology files from a new source to your project that can be used by any new designs in that project.

Most files in a design kit are accessed directly from the design kit. However, these technology files include user editable attributes, so they are copied in the project. Appropriate path variables are modified so that they will always be read from the project directory.

Before continuing with this section, you must have already installed and enabled the design kit that will be used as the source for technology files for this project. It can be enabled at any level. Refer to Install ADS Design Kit or Setup ADS Design Kits for instructions.

To select the Design Kit technology files for a project:

1. Choose DesignKit > Setup Project. The Setup Project Technology Files dialog box appears. You must have a project open for this menu pick to be available.
2. From the list of available technologies, select the design kit from which to copy the technology files. If there are no design kit technologies enabled, the only options in the list will be ADS Standards and Custom technology directory sources. Click the Cancel button and enable a design kit before proceeding if you want to setup your project with a design kit's technology.
   
3. Once you have selected a design kit technology or other technology, click the View Details button. The Technology File Integration Details are updated accordingly to inform you of the action that will take place if you click OK in the Setup Project Technology Files dialog box. After you understand the details, click OK in the Technology File Integration Details dialog box to clear the dialog.
4. Use the Set as default for all new designs in project checkbox in the Setup Project Technology Files dialog box to set the selected technology as your new project's default technology for all new designs created. The check box is enabled by default.
   • The layers file for layout is the most important file to get from the design kit. Preferences files are typically not as important as the layers file. Momentum substrate files are necessary only if you intend to use Momentum. Additionally, an advanced user may understand how to browse to find a Momentum substrate file from the design kit without copying it into the project. If a substrate file is opened from the design kit directory, be careful not to modify it.
   • If there are no technology files supplied with the design kit, the view details will show the default layers and preferences files being used for the project instead. The default preference files will already have been copied into the project when it was created. Default layers files are opened from $HPEESOF_DIR/de/defaults until a change has been made to any layer attributes. Then a copy is saved in the project directory and read from there.

     Note If you have saved layers or preference files with a custom name in your project, this process will not touch those files. Any designs that reference those custom files will continue to reference them. If you wish to have those design files start to use the new files from the design kit, you must use the Read button from the layer dialog or preferences dialog to reset the file name to the default names.

5. After indicating which technology source will be used, click OK to initiate the copying procedure.
6. If the files do not currently exist in your project then they will be copied in. If files already exist, you are asked if you want to overwrite the existing files. In all cases, existing files by the same name will be renamed. No files will be deleted by this procedure.

Using an ADS Design Kit to Create a Schematic

After successfully installing an ADS design kit and learning how to use the Design Kit Toolset to manage your design kits in ADS, you can use this section to help you get started designing a circuit with an installed design kit.

If the design kit that you installed came with directions, review these before starting to design. The design kit may contain special features not covered in this documentation that might require manual configuration. There may also be custom menus that you should be aware of.

A design kit from a foundry should also contain detailed information regarding each component in the design kit, as well as an example project demonstrating how the design kit may be used. This example can be opened and simulated to ensure that you have properly installed the design kit.

Components in a design kit may be presented in the component palette or in the library browser, or both. Both are accessed from the schematic window. The component palette is always visible on the left side of the drawing area. If your selected design kit is not visible in the palette, open the Component Palette List and scroll down until you find it. A single design kit may include more than one palette. For example, passive and active devices might be listed in separate palettes. Likewise, components in the library browser can be presented in different sub-groups. The library browser can be opened by a button on the toolbar or from the Insert > Component > Component Library menu item.

One special component that will be in most design kits is a process or include component. In some cases, this is used so the simulator can find model files stored in the design kit. If this component is supplied, it is most likely required to be in your schematic for simulation to be successful. Find the process or include component on the palette or in the library and place this component in your schematic first. Place it at the top level of a hierarchical design.

Continue designing your circuit now by placing components out of the design kit or the standard palettes. Place the proper simulation components from a simulation palette, and simulate the circuit.

For an example project and example design kit to experiment with, browse to the examples directory and look for DesignKit/bjt_dc_prj. For best results, make a local copy of the project before attempting to simulate, since simulation requires write permission in the project directory, as do some design kit configuration steps. The design kit called my_design_kit is included in a sub-directory of the project. An ads.lib file in the project directory ensures that the design kit gets loaded when the project is opened.

For information on what to do if you have problems with a foundry-supplied design kit, refer to Design Kit Customer Support.

Command Reference

This section describes the function of each menu selection provided in Advanced Design System (Main) DesignKit Menu.

DesignKit Menu

ADS Main window
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Install Design Kits...

Unzip, define and install a new zipped ADS Design Kit. For more information, refer to Install ADS Design Kit.

Setup Design Kits...

View, modify or print the default installation status of each of the different levels and Design Kits available. For more information, refer to Setup ADS Design Kits.

List Design Kits...

View, save to a file, or print a list of all currently available design kits and their status. For more information, refer to List ADS Design Kits.

Setup Project...

Configure a project to use the technology files from a specific design kit. For more information, refer to Setup Project Technology Files.