Tutorial

How to Simulate an RF Circuit in RF View

Step-by-step guide to building and simulating RF circuits in RF View on Android: add R/L/C elements, load S2P DUT blocks, simulate S11/S21, and compare with measured data.

RF View Circuit Simulator Overview

RF View's Circuit Simulator tab builds linear RF circuits using a graphical element list. Each element is added to a cascade chain and the combined S-parameters (S11, S21, S22) are computed using ABCD matrix multiplication. The result can be sent directly to the S-Parameter Plot tab for comparison with measured data.

Supported Circuit Elements

ElementParametersUse Case
Series ResistorR (Ω)Loss modeling, bias networks
Series InductorL (nH)Matching network, EMI choke
Series CapacitorC (pF)DC block, series matching
Shunt ResistorR (Ω)Termination, stabilization
Shunt InductorL (nH)Bias feed, shunt match
Shunt CapacitorC (pF)Bypass, shunt match
Ideal T-lineZ₀ (Ω), θ (°)Transmission line stub
Microstrip T-lineW (mm), L (mm), εr, HPCB microstrip section
S2P DUT Block.s2p fileAny measured device (LNA, filter, PA)

Step 1: Build a Matching Network + DUT Circuit

  1. Open RF View → Circuit Simulator tab
  2. Tap "Add Element" → select "S2P" → load your device .s2p file
  3. Tap "Add Element" → select "Shunt C" → enter 6.8 pF
  4. Position shunt C before the S2P block (input matching)
  5. Add "Series L" → enter 3.5 nH → position after shunt C, before S2P
  6. Add output elements if needed (shunt C or series L on the other side)

Step 2: Simulate

  Tap "Simulate" → RF View computes at each frequency:
  1. Converts each element to ABCD matrix
  2. Multiplies ABCD matrices in order (left to right = port 1 to port 2)
  3. Converts total ABCD → S-parameters [S11, S21, S22]

  Result view: shows S11, S21 of the complete circuit
  Switch between S11 and S21 to see match and gain

Step 3: Transfer to S-Parameter Plot

Tap "Send to Plot" → simulation result appears as "Sim_Result" trace in the S-Parameter Plot tab. This lets you overlay simulation vs measured .s2p data on the same chart to compare:

  • Simulated matched S11 (should be <−10 dB) vs measured (before adding matching network)
  • Simulated S21 with matching network vs measured S21 without it
RF View Circuit Simulator: Build complete RF circuits with R/L/C elements and measured S2P device blocks. Simulate S11, S21, S22 instantly. Send results to the S-Parameter Plot for comparison. Free on Android.

Related Topics

← Back to Tutorial  ·  RF View Home