Virtuoso Schematic Composer User Guide

Creating Schematics

■spectre: an iprobe (effectively a zero-voltage source)

■spectreS: an iprobe (effectively a zero-voltage source)

■hspiceS: a zero-voltage source

■verilog: a module describing the short (terminal-terminal assigns are legal in verilog)

Adding Probes

The Probe – Add command lets you select the data you want to display in another cellview and select the data for the net for which you want to show a cross-reference.

■Adding Probes to a Net, Pin, or Instance on page 195

■Showing Probe Information on page 196

■Removing Probes from a Net, Pin, or Instance on page 196

■Removing All Probes on page 197

■Saving Probes on page 198

■Loading Probes on page 198

Virtuoso Schematic Composer User Guide

Creating Schematics

Adding Probes to a Net, Pin, or Instance

To add probes to a net, pin, or instance, do the following:

1.Choose Design – Probe – Add Net, Design – Probe – Add Pin, or Design – Probe

– Add Instance.

2.Click on a figure on a net, pin, or instance or type its name.

The Applications to Cross Probe form appears.

Applications to Cross Probe

The color of the net, pin, or instance changes to show that your probes are added. You can also add probes by typing the net, pin, or instance name as follows:

1.While the cursor is in the schematic window, press Control-v.

The Command Interpreter Window (CIW) appears.

2.Type the name of the net, pin, or instance you want to probe in the CIW.

You must enclose the name in quotation marks.

To add a probe to a net named net_20, type "net_20".

3.Press the Return key.

The color of the net, pin, or instance changes to show that your probes are added.

Virtuoso Schematic Composer User Guide

Creating Schematics

Showing Probe Information

To show an existing probe type and object name, do the following:

1.Choose Design – Probe – Explain.

2.Click on or near an object in your design that has a probe.

A list window similar to the one below appears, showing the probe type and name of the object. If you clicked near two or more objects with probes, the window lists each object and its probe type.

Removing Probes from a Net, Pin, or Instance

The Design – Probe Remove command removes the data you displayed in another cellview or removes the data that cross-referenced a net, pin, or instance.

To remove probes from a selected net, pin, or instance, do the following:

1.Choose Design – Probe – Remove Net, Design – Probe – Remove Pin, or Design

– Probe – Remove Instance.

2.Press F3.

Virtuoso Schematic Composer User Guide

Creating Schematics

The Delete Cross Probes form appears.

Delete Cross Probes

If you do not click on Cross Probe, the cross-probes are left in place.

3.Click on a net, pin, or instance in your design that contains a probe.

If you assigned more than one probe to this net, pin, or instance, only one is deleted. The color of the object changes to show that the probe was deleted.

You can also remove probes by typing the object name, as follows:

1.While the cursor is in the schematic window, press Control-v. The CIW appears.

2.Type the name of the net, pin, or instance you want to remove. You must enclose the name in quotation marks.

To remove a probe to a net named net_20, type "net_20".

3.Press the Return key.

If you assigned more than one probe to this net, pin, or instance, only one is deleted. The color of the object changes to show that the probe was deleted.

Removing All Probes

To remove all probes, including cross-probes attached to objects in the top-level design of the current window, do the following:

Choose Design – Probe – Remove All.