Create opamp macromodel from hspice/spectre netlist

[engrvip]

Hi

I am an analog ic designer and want a way to share my design IP netlist to some external customer without sharing actual netlist.

I believe it can be done by using macromodel. But how to create one for say opamp block. Or is their any better method.

Regards
Vipul

 

[pancho_hideboo]

Both spectre and hspice support encryption of netlist.

 

[dick_freebird]

A macromodel would be done with some combination
of real devices and standard SPICE/Spectre elements.
You can find many examples of macromodels out there.
Also veriloga op amp models, which could perhaps be
easier to work with if you need to model things that
are out of the reach of poly-sources etc. The customer
would probably want some documentation showing how
the "macromodel" behavior lines up with the schematic
based simulation (and they'd really even more rather
have hardware results, although an internal little circuit
block may not be very characterizable with bench gear).

Sharing anything with a customer ought to be under a
nondisclosure agreement and then you'd monitor that
customer's activity for signs they breached it, and sue.
Maybe make more money that way than an outright IP
sale. With the right lawyer and the right luck, anyway.

 

[engrvip]

Hi Dick and Pancho

Thanks for ur replies.

1. Is the encryption foolproof. Can u please send me some links on how to implement this encryption.

2. As for macromodel is it possible that i may use already existing macromodel in market from IC supplier and put my measured spec Numbers in it. Or one needs to create a whole new macromodel for my IP.

Which is more convenient to learn and accurate between MACROMODEL and VERILOG-A models.

Regards Vipul

 

[pancho_hideboo]

1. Is the encryption foolproof. Can u please send me some links on how to implement this encryption.

Spectre Encrypt.

It is similar also for HSPICE.