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AWR Corp. | www.awrcorp.com
Built by design engineers for design engineers, AWR’s revolutionary software design tools continue to speed the process of creating, refining, and building complex electronic products. AWR CORP. Founder Joe Pekarek had a key mission in mind when his company introduced its Microwave Office™ design suite in 1998: to dramatically increase the productivity of gigahertz electronic product development. That mission continues today. Pekarek and his team remain committed to delivering software design tools that make the creation, refinement, and realization of everything from simple components to complex integrated circuits (ICs) faster, easier, and decidedly more affordable. The launch of Microwave Office ushered in a new era of software development for design engineers, giving them a tool with the look and feel of a desktop PC/Microsoft “open environment” (see figures). Not only did it introduce an intuitive approach to using engineering design software; it also cut learning curves in half while making it easier to integrate other tools and functionality into the design process. “Our ‘open-environment approach’ allowed other, third-party tools to ‘plug-and-play’ with AWR and broke the mold on other vendors’ ‘NIH’ (not invented here) attitudes,” adds Sherry Hess, Vice President of Marketing for AWR. “Prior to AWR’s Microwave Office, design tools were largely UNIX-based and ‘closed environments.’ AWR redefined the checklist of must-haves for EDA tools to also include ease of use, openness, and ready integration with other tools.” AWR’s software products help engineers create ICs like RF ICs and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) that operate from hundreds of megahertz through gigahertz and to near-optical wavelengths within the electromagnetic spectrum. Specifically, AWR’s products target high-frequency ICs, RF modules, and RF printed-circuit boards (PCBs)—common components within electronic circuits and systems in the wireless, high-frequency wire-line, and electro-optical markets. To put that in perspective, today AWR’s software is used to design the critical RF and microwave portions of cellular phones and smartphones; cellular base-station transceivers; satellite-communication systems; and defense systems for electronic warfare (EW), radar, and communications. Engineers also use AWR software to design wireless-enabled products that incorporate WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, cable and fiber-optic networks, and hundreds of other applications that use wireless technology to “unwire” their systems. After more than 15 years in business, flexibility and enhanced productivity remain at the heart of AWR’s software product development. From the launch of Microwave Office to the addition of key products, such as Analog Office®, Visual System Simulator™ (VSS), and AXIEM® 3D Planar EM Simulator, AWR’s goal is to provide open and flexible software architecture. Such architectures maximize user efficiency by allowing designers to choose the best tool for each part of the design process. They can then integrate the entire design flow in a single, cohesive, and easy-to-use platform. Since its founding in 1994, AWR has been a welcome addition to RF and microwave design engineers’ arsenal of tools and capabilities. Now, as a wholly owned subsidiary of National Instruments, AWR is looking to integrate real-world measurements into RF design. It will leverage NI’s expertise in instrument connectivity, measurements, and algorithm engineering to enhance the productivity of electronic product design. The integration of AWR’s VSS to control hardware through NI’s LabView product is just one example. Going forward, AWR will continue to provide new product innovations and productivity enhancements to the RF and microwave community. At the same time, it will stay true to the innovative, open-environment use model that it pioneered years ago.
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