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LINC2 is a linear circuit simulator that includes a suite of design and synthesis tools seamlessly integrated into one program for the ultimate experience in the automated design of RF and microwave circuits.

Over and above the emphasis LINC2 places on RF and microwave circuit design, where S-parameters are widely used to characterize devices and circuits, it also has an extensive library of built-in circuit element models that extend the simulation range from very low frequencies (sub audio) to extremely high frequencies (mm wavelengths).  In addition to S-parameter models, the parts library includes a set of FET and Bipolar transistor models that incorporate the internal current source as well as the device’s various resistive and capacitive elements.  These composite models work well at all frequency ranges and are particularly useful at frequencies below which S-parameters are typically used.  Generic voltage-controlled current sources and current-controlled current sources (also available from the parts menu) provide the basic building blocks for a nearly unlimited variety of user defined active device models.

LINC2’s comprehensive set of transmission line models include ideal (electrical) lines and physical (microstrip and stripline) transmission line elements with length and width descriptions suitable for making circuit board layouts.  There is even a one-step process for automatically converting all electrical (ideal) transmission lines on a circuit schematic to their equivalent physical representations.

LINC2 combines circuit design/synthesis, schematic capture, simulation and optimization into a powerful, yet easy to use, design environment.

LINC2 Pro

LINC2 Professional Edition is the full-featured version of the LINC2 design and simulation software suite.  This EDA (Electronic Design Automation) program offers the highest level of electronic circuit design automation.  LINC2 Pro includes a set of circuit synthesis modules that automatically create a wide variety of circuits and components.

The wizard-like interface in LINC2 guides the user quickly and intuitively through the process of entering the design goals and specifications.  A single button click captures the design and instantly turns it into an active schematic ready for simulation, tuning, optimization or yield analysis.

LINC2’s design and circuit synthesis capabilities include:

Circuit Synthesis:

·        Low Noise Amplifiers (LNA). 

        Designed for-

·        Minimum Noise

·        Maximum gain

·        Noise and Gain Tradeoffs

·        Minimum Noise and Improved Input Return Loss (trading off output RL)

·        Trading Noise Figure and Output Return Loss for Improved Input Match

·        Gain and Stability

·        Lumped or Distributed Matching Networks

·        Any Source or Load Impedance

·        Available Power Gain, Operating Power Gain or Transducer Power Gain

·        Single and Multi-stage Amplifiers

        Designed for-

·        Maximum Gain

·        Flat Broadband Gain Response (using optimization)

·        Low-Pass Gain Response

·        High-Pass Gain Response

·        Band-Pass Gain Response

·        Gain and Stability

·        Lumped or Distributed Matching Networks

·        Any Real or Complex Source and Load Impedance

·        Balanced Linear Amplifiers

·        Unbalanced Linear Amplifiers

 ·        Single and Multi-stage Balanced Amplifiers (Quad Combined)

 ·        Single and Multi-stage Push-Pull Amplifiers

·        Filter Design

·        Balanced Filters (Differential Ports)

·        Single-ended Filters (Unbalanced Ports)

·        Low-pass, High-pass, Band-pass or Band-stop Transmission Responses

·        Bessel, Butterworth and Chebyshev Shape Functions

·        Microwave Distributed Filters

·        EM (electromagnetic) simulation of distributed filters via Sonnet^(R) (Sonnet-Lite included)

·        View and edit layout of distributed filters

·        Export microstrip and stripline filter layouts to DXF files

·        Convert filter DXF file to Gerber for PCB fabrication

·        More...

·        Lumped and Distributed Impedance Matching Networks

·        One-element networks (single quarter wave line or single lumped element)

·        Two-element L networks in 8 configurations

·        Three-element T and PI networks

Designed for-

·     Loaded Q

·     Phase Shift

·     Low-pass, High-pass and Band-pass response

·     Band-pass Tapped L, Band-pass Tapped C, Band-pass Split L and Band-pass Split C

·        Multi-element LC networks

·        Broadband or Narrow-band Matching

·        Real or Complex Source and Load Impedances

·        Balanced Networks for Matching between Differential Ports

·        Single-ended Networks for Matching between Unbalanced Ports

·        Matching Balanced to Unbalanced Ports (BALUN Match)

·        Resistive (PAD) Matching between any Impedances

·        Resistive (PAD) Matching Networks in Balanced or Single-ended configurations

·        Series Transmission Lines with Shunt Stubs

·        Quarter-wave Transmission Lines

·        Broadband Quarter-wave Stepped Impedance Transformers

·     User Specified Chebyshev or Butterworth Shape Function

·     User Specified Bandwidth

·     User Specified VSWR

·        Broadband Short (<1/4 Wave) Stepped Impedance Transmission Lines

·     User Specified Chebyshev or Butterworth Shape Functions

·     User Specified Bandwidth

·     User Specified VSWR

Component Design/Synthesis

·        Attenuators

·        Minimum Loss Attenuators (two resistor elements)

·        Unbalanced T and PI Configurations

·        Balanced T and PI Configurations (differential networks)

·        Any Terminations (design for any source or load port impedance)

·        Transmission Lines

·        Microstrip and Stripline

·        Coupled Transmission Lines

·        Coupled Microstrip

·        Coupled Stripline

·        Coplanar Waveguide

·        BALUNS

·        Directional Couplers

·        Transmission Line Capacitors (in microstrip or stripline with losses modeled)

·        Transmission Line Inductors (in microstrip or stripline with losses modeled)

·        High Q Transmission Line Resonators (in microstrip or stripline with losses modeled)

·        BALUNS - Lumped Element and Distributed

·        Resonators

·        New! Coplanar Waveguide models for circuit simulation and transmission line calculator

·       User defined equations for specifying new relationships between user defined variables and circuit component parameter values

·        More…

Apart from circuit synthesis (where the schematic is automatically created), LINC2 features general purpose schematic capture for manually creating and editing user drawn schematics.  Regardless of whether a schematic is manually drawn or whether it is automatically created by a LINC2 synthesis module, circuit simulation results can be generated at any time by simply clicking the “Analyze” button.

When a circuit simulation is run on a LINC2 schematic the results are immediately available for interactive tuning while the circuit responses are displayed graphically and updated in real time.  Additionally, LINC2 Pro can automatically optimize a circuit to meet a set of user-supplied goals.  Monte Carlo statistical yield analysis is also available for determining the yield rates for a given set of user supplied goals and component tolerance values.

In addition to importing one-port, two-port or multi-port S-parameter files as circuit elements, the user can choose parts from a menu of over 40 built-in components for manually creating schematics.  The program's CD-ROM disc contains thousands of additional S-parameter files of active and passive devices.

LINC2 Standard

The standard package (now LINC2 Standard Version 2.72) combines a suite of RF tools with a RF/MW simulator.  The RF tools add matching network synthesis, microstrip/stripline transmission line synthesis, PI and T pad design, and a circles utility for designing input and output matching networks around a two-port or transistor.  The Circles Utility automatically synthesizes input/output networks to match the user's choice of circuit topology (including L, PI, T and various transmission line/stub forms). The networks generated by the Circles Utility are based on interactive displays of gain, noise figure, and stability circles overlaid on the Smith Chart.  The Circles Utility can automatically synthesize low noise amplifiers (LNAs) designed for user selections of gain, noise figure (NF) and input/output return loss (including tradeoffs of these performance parameters).

LINC2 Standard now includes the same schematic capture utility provided in LINC2 Pro as well as provisions for nodal netlist descriptions of a circuit in a text file format (as an alternate form of circuit entry).  LINC2 Standard has a built in text editor for creating circuit netlist files.  The LINC2 Standard nodal circuit file description is a format that is similar to formats used by several other popular circuit simulators employed in the RF and microwave industry.  The level of compatibility in the LINC2 circuit netlist facilitates the exchange and interoperability of circuits between LINC2 and other popular circuit simulators.  

LINC2 Standard includes the same circuit simulator engine as the Pro version.  The Standard version also shares a number of the circuit synthesis modules with the Pro version, including LNA (Low Noise Amplifier) design, Impedance Matching Synthesis, Attenuator Design, Transmission Line Design, the RF calculator module and other RF tools.  The standard package does not include the comprehensive amplifier synthesis module or the filter synthesis module found only in LINC2 Pro.  LINC2 Standard has manual interactive (real time) tuning as well as automatic circuit optimization and Monte Carlo statistical yield analysis.

LINC2 Standard Edition (ver 2.72) sells for $495 which includes a 150 page users manual and a tutorial section.

How to order LINC2

Send mail to linc2 @ appliedmicrowave.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified:  October 30, 2024.