Altium RF is a specialized PCB design tool focused on facilitating the design of high-frequency printed circuit boards (PCB). With the rapid proliferation of wireless technologies like 5G, IoT, automotive radar, and more, the ability to effectively design complex, high-speed RF circuits is becoming increasingly important. Altium RF provides RF engineers with a complete toolset to tackle these challenges.

Key Capabilities of Altium RF

Advanced RF Layout Environment

Altium RF provides a robust schematic capture and PCB layout environment tailored for high frequency circuits. It incorporates specialized features like length tuning stubs, distributed elements, and microstrip/stripline routing to facilitate implementing impedance controlled routing. The 3D editor enables constructing multilayer RF circuitry and electromagnetic simulations.

Integrated Simulation and Analysis

To verify performance, Altium integrates RF signal and power integrity analyses like S-parameters and SPICE modeling. The tool includes a 3D electromagnetic field simulator to model high-speed channel behavior. Automated design rule checking (DRC) ensures designers avoid common RF pitfalls.

Model Libraries

Altium includes access to vendor-certified component libraries with RF models for accurate simulations. Parts like amplifiers, mixers, filters, antennas, passives, and more all include relevant parasitic data. This facilitates making right-first-time part choices.

Design Reuse

Leveraging existing proven circuits through reuse improves design efficiency. Altium RF integrates access to reference designs, circuit templates, and design reuse methodologies. This helps accelerate time-to-market by avoiding reinvention.

Key Benefits of Using Altium RF

Reduced Prototyping

By facilitating extensive simulation and analysis upfront, Altium RF reduces reliance on error-prone prototyping cycles. This lowers costs and speeds up development.

Right-First-Time Design

With extensive validation capabilities before manufacturing, Altium RF helps engineers avoid costly design spins. This improves quality while preventing delays.

Faster Design Cycles

The unified design flow in Altium RF eliminates disjointed handoffs between schematic capture and PCB layout stages. This streamlines the development process.

Improved Supply Chain Collaboration

Altium RF’s unified data model and Vault integration facilitates collaboration with partners and suppliers. This eases outsourcing certain design tasks as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of designs is Altium RF suitable for?

Altium RF excels at wireless designs including 5G equipment, radar, satellite, medical devices, communications, IoT, automotive, aerospace, and more. It can handle circuits from kHz to millimeter wave.

What skill level is needed to use Altium RF effectively?

Engineers should have a solid background in RF fundamentals and techniques. Altium RF is geared toward the professional RF and microwave circuit designer. Having schematic capture and layout experience helps.

What training resources are available for Altium RF?

Altium provides documentation, on-demand video courses, live instructor-led online classes, and in-person classroom workshops. Altium’s WORLD360 community forums also provide user-to-user support.

What is the licensing model for Altium RF?

Altium RF is available via yearly subscription including maintenance and support. Subscription levels are based on capability needs. Team and enterprise licensing options are available.

Does Altium RF integrate with any other tools?

Altium RF integrates with Altium Designer for managing complete projects. It also integrates with 3rd party EM simulators like Ansys HFSS, Cadence ADS, and Keysight technologies.

Conclusion

Altium RF provides a powerful, dedicated environment for tackling cutting-edge RF designs. With its analysis, modeling, reuse, and documentation capabilities, engineers can thoroughly validate complex circuits digitally before committing to physical prototypes. For companies regularly pushing the envelope on RF innovation, integrating Altium RF can maximize productivity.