Steady-state methods for simulation of RF and microwave circuits

Given the growing demand for today's wireless communication devices, a more efficient method is needed to determine the steady-state response of circuits frequently found in microwave and RF applications. Problems with the available methods showed the need for a low-cost and efficient alternative for steady-state determination of nonlinear circuits.; The shooting-Newton method for steady-state determination has been implemented in SPICE, the most popular general-purpose circuit simulator. The new steady-state analysis option incorporates standard Gaussian elimination and different Krylov methods for solution of the linear system generated by the shooting-Newton algorithm. The steady-state analysis in SPICE is shown to be much faster than SPICE transient analysis when finding the steady-state solution of strongly nonlinear circuits. Krylov methods show even greater improvements in determining steady-state for larger circuits. In addition, a mathematically consistent description of all numerical methods involved in the shooting-Newton method used in circuit simulation is presented.; Computational issues of the algorithm are considered. The accuracy of the shooting-Newton method and its accuracy with the different solver options are provided. Some eigenvalues are examined for example circuits. A detailed comparison of the Krylov methods along with their convergence properties is presented. In addition, a breakdown of the Krylov methods BiCG and BiCGSTAB has been corrected by changing the initial guess.