Ansys Electronics & Semiconductor Design Software

What these tools solveElectronics design spans electromagnetic fields, circuits, packages, printed circuit boards, thermal transport and semiconductor reliability. A schematic alone cannot predict every consequence of conductor geometry, return-current paths, mutual coupling, power-delivery impedance or temperature. The Ansys simulation portfolio, now within Synopsys, supports physically informed analysis from component to chip, package and system.

Ownership note. Synopsys completed its acquisition of Ansys on July 17, 2025. Product naming, branding and licensing can evolve. This page describes major Ansys-origin product families used in electronics and semiconductor development, rather than suggesting that all Synopsys EDA products originated at Ansys. Synopsys acquisition announcement.

1. Electromagnetics, PCB and electronics-system tools

Software	Main purpose	Representative engineering work
Ansys HFSS	Three-dimensional full-wave high-frequency electromagnetic analysis	Antennas, microwave filters, waveguides, connectors, transitions, package resonances, radiation and coupling; S-parameters and fields
HFSS 3D Layout	Full-wave electromagnetic analysis driven by multilayer layout geometry	PCB/package interconnects, vias, traces, launches, complex routing and high-speed structures
Ansys SIwave	PCB and package signal-integrity and power-integrity analysis	PDN impedance, plane resonances, DC voltage drop, high-speed channels, return-path discontinuities and crosstalk
Ansys Q3D Extractor	Parasitic resistance, inductance, capacitance and conductance extraction	Busbars, bond wires, leadframes, interconnects, package conductors and circuit-compatible RLGC models
Ansys Maxwell	Low-frequency/quasistatic electromagnetic field analysis	Motors, transformers, actuators, inductors, magnetic saturation, eddy currents and electromagnetic forces
Ansys Icepak	Electronics thermal and cooling simulation	Device/package/PCB temperatures, airflow, heat sinks, component dissipation and electrothermal workflows
Ansys Circuit / Electronics Desktop	Circuit and coupled field–circuit analysis environment	System-level schematic simulation, extracted models and interaction between EM structures and nonlinear circuits

These tools solve different field problems; HFSS and SIwave are not substitutes for one another. HFSS is especially valuable when full-wave 3D wave propagation and radiation control performance. SIwave emphasizes complex PCB/package electrical networks and their SI/PI behavior. Q3D is generally more appropriate for quasi-static interconnect parasitics than for structures requiring a full-wave treatment.

Important quantities

RF and microwave: complex S-parameters, resonant frequencies, quality factor, radiation patterns, gain, impedance and coupling.
Signal integrity: insertion/return loss, impedance discontinuities, crosstalk, eye opening, jitter and intersymbol interference.
Power integrity: DC IR drop, target impedance, PDN resonances, current distribution and decoupling effectiveness.
Thermal: junction and package temperatures, thermal resistance, thermal gradients and cooling capacity.

2. Semiconductor, IC and advanced-packaging tools

Software	Main purpose	Representative engineering work
Ansys HFSS-IC	Chip-aware/IC-to-system electromagnetic analysis environment	Electromagnetic effects across integrated circuits, packages and interconnect structures; integration of multiple extraction approaches
RaptorX	Full-wave EM extraction for on-chip structures	RFIC/passive interconnect characterization, coupling and broadband parasitics
RedHawk-SC	Digital-chip power integrity and reliability signoff	Dynamic/static voltage drop, power-grid analysis and electromigration/reliability
Totem / Totem-SC	Transistor-level power-integrity and reliability analysis	Analog/mixed-signal supply networks, transistor-level IR drop and EM assessment
PathFinder-SC	Electrostatic-discharge integrity analysis	ESD current pathways and robustness checks in complex IC layouts
RedHawk-SC Electrothermal	Coupled electrical and thermal assessment for chips and 3D assemblies	Temperature-sensitive power integrity and reliability in multi-die designs

Semiconductor context: tools for EM extraction, power integrity and electrothermal reliability complement—not replace—logic synthesis, place-and-route, static timing analysis, formal verification and physical verification. Those broader workflows also involve Synopsys EDA tools. See the existing Silicon Interfaces & SoC Implementation page.

3. Choosing the appropriate level of simulation

Design question	Typical first tool or workflow	Main limitation to check
What are the antenna gain, match and near fields?	HFSS	Material models, mesh convergence, boundary conditions
Does a PCB via/connector transition cause mode conversion?	HFSS 3D Layout / HFSS	Port definition and accurate stackup
Where does the board PDN resonate?	SIwave	Decoupling component models, layout and reference-plane assumptions
What are bond-wire/package parasitics?	Q3D or full-wave EM, depending on electrical size	Quasi-static versus wave-propagation regime
Will a power semiconductor or PCB overheat?	Icepak coupled to loss/power estimates	Power map, interface resistance and cooling boundary conditions
Is a digital-chip power grid meeting supply and reliability targets?	RedHawk-SC	Activity, current profile and signoff assumptions
Will an analog supply network exhibit local IR drop?	Totem / Totem-SC	Transistor activity, layout and process-corner assumptions
Are on-chip RF inductors and routing electromagnetically coupled?	RaptorX / HFSS-IC	Stackup accuracy, losses and extraction frequency range

4. Why electromagnetic simulation matters to chip design

A typical high-speed electrical path is:

on-chip driver→die interconnect→package→PCB channel→receiver

Each level introduces resistance, inductance, capacitance, dielectric loss, discontinuities and coupling. Extraction converts geometry into electrical models, but the required model depends on frequency and physical dimensions. A full-wave description may be essential for an electrically large package discontinuity, while a quasistatic RLGC description can be efficient for other geometries.

For a lumped power-delivery network, a simple design criterion is

\[|Z_{\mathrm{PDN}}(f)| \lesssim Z_{\mathrm{target}} = \frac{\Delta V_{\mathrm{allowable}}}{\Delta I_{\mathrm{transient}}},\]

used as a first-order design target, not a substitute for transient, spatial and resonant analysis.

Practical engineering considerations

Geometry and stackup: accurate layer thickness, copper roughness, dielectric properties and vias matter.
Ports and return paths: incorrect reference conductors or de-embedding can dominate errors.
Numerical verification: refine the mesh, test frequency coverage and inspect passivity/causality of extracted network models.
Cross-domain effects: electrical loss creates heat; temperature can change conductivity, mobility and reliability margins.
Correlation: compare simulation with VNA/TDR, board measurements, thermal data or silicon characterization when available.

5. Relationship to Synopsys EDA

The Ansys-origin tools emphasize electromagnetic, thermal, physical and reliability effects. Synopsys’ wider semiconductor-design portfolio also includes design capture, verification, digital implementation, timing/signoff, analog/custom design and interface IP. Together these connect silicon design with physics-based system simulation.

Product-history caveat: Ansys PowerArtist was divested to Keysight in October 2025, so it should not be listed as a current Synopsys-owned product. Keysight announcement.

6. Connected topics in this reference

RF & Microwave Engineering — fields, matching, networks and S-parameters.
Antennas & Radiation — radiation and array coupling.
Signal Integrity & Power Integrity — transmission channels and PDNs.
Hardware Interfaces & PCB/Flex Design — stackups, routing and bring-up.
Silicon Interfaces & SoC Implementation — chip-design and implementation flow.
Computational Electromagnetics — numerical methods and installed EM systems.

7. Official references

This is a product and physics reference, not a statement of personal proficiency in every listed software package.