RF Blockset

RF System Simulation

Simulate RF front ends at the system-level and integrate with digital signal processing algorithms. Either start from scratch or generate models from the RF Budget Analyzer app. Use the Circuit Envelope library for multi-carrier simulation or raise the abstraction level with the Idealized Equivalent Baseband library.

MIMO, Antennas, and Beamforming

Design analog and hybrid beamforming systems operating at mmWave frequencies. Integrate antenna arrays with RF front ends and adaptive beam steering algorithms. Model antenna coupling, impedance mismatch, RF channels, and in-band / out-of-band interfering signals.

RF Transceivers Modeling

Build and share models of digitally assisted RF transceivers with adaptive feedback loops such as automatic gain control (AGC) and digital predistortion (DPD). Speed up simulation with the Idealized Equivalent Baseband library and C code generation.

Amplifiers, Mixers, and Non-Linearity

Model non-linearity using specifications such as IP3, IP2, saturation power, and 1dB compression point. For power amplifiers, provide AM/AM-AM/PM characteristics or model wideband behavior using generalized memory polynomials. For mixers, use intermodulation tables to describe spurs and mixing products.

S-Parameters, RF Filters, and Dispersion

Simulate dispersion, group delay, and impedance mismatches of passive and active components with frequency-dependent models. Read Touchstone files and simulate S-parameter data in the time domain to model lumped and distributed components.

Noise Generation

Simulate and optimize low-noise systems with accurate SNR estimations. Specify the noise figure and the spot-noise data or read frequency-dependent noise data from Touchstone files. Specify arbitrary frequency-dependent noise distributions for local oscillators and model phase noise.

Once the antenna, beamformer devices, and transceiver hardware are assembled, engineers can run experiments in over-the-air (OTA) test chambers to characterize their design. However, it is often weeks—or even months, depending on hardware and software development time, as well as product availability—before all the pieces of the radio system become available. Our team has built a behavioral model of the Otava OTBF103 Beamformer Integrated Circuit (BFIC) that enables engineers to obtain essential performance information by running system-level simulations of their 5G millimeter wave system designs.

Cecile Masse, Otava Inc.