Things to Know about New Load Pull

What do I need to know about current (V12+) Load Pull?

How is the current load pull simulation different than V11?

There are a couple of main differences. The first is support for swept load pull. This functionality also comes with a lot of?additional load pull graphing capability. The second is the use of ?A/B waves?rather than columns of "derived" data such as gain, output power, PAE, etc. in the saved data set. This file storage format is more compact and versatile as it allows the user to plot data that they may not have considered when setting up the load pull simulation. As a result of both of these changes, the load pull DUT gets added to a load pull simulation template. This template is created automatically the first time the new load pull script runs ( Scripts > Load Pull > Load_Pull ). Additional templates can also be created manually using Scripts > Load Pull > Create_Load_Pull_Template ). Further detail are in the AWR load pull simulation guide

Can I use the V11 simulated load pull script in new version of MWO?

Yes, please use this?version. This file should go in your ScriptsUser directory. The easiest way to get it there is to save it to disk, unzip it, and run Scripts > Configuration > Import_Global_Script.

Do I have to use a Load Pull Template Schematic to do simulated load pull?

Yes, as it correctly defines power, gamma, and frequency sweeps as well as having the appropriate tuners and voltage and current meters for measuring the A/B waves.

How can I sweep additional variables in my Load Pull Template Schematic?

Any variable can be swept, but there are some naming requirements. If it is possible to derive the swept quantity from the A/B waves or DC voltages/currents?(e.g. power or bias), then the variable name must be prefixed with an "i." If it is not possible to derive the swept quantity from the A/B waves or DC voltages/currents (e.g. temperature), then the variable name must be prefixed with an "r." ?Note that power, gamma, and frequency sweep names must match the file standard exactly but that these names are already setup in the Load Pull Template Schematic. Please contact technical support awr.support@ni.com?for additional details.

There are a lot of load pull measurements. How do I know which to use?

Start by watching this video:?Load Pull Measurements

Use this decoder for the measurement names.

• All the new, swept load pull measurements begin with "G_."

• Measurements that align data to a specified value end in "A."

• Measurements that plot the intersection between contours contain "_C2."

• Measurements that plot a single value contain "_V."

• Measurements that plot a real value contain "_R."

• Measurements that plot a complex value contain "_C."

• Measurements that plot the response at any swept harmonic other than fundamental load (i.e. PAE vs. 2nd harmonic gamma sweep, source pull, etc.) contain "EX."

• Measurements that plot the interpolated maximum or minimum values contain "MAX" or "MIN."

So with that foundation in mind here's a phenomenological list of the most commonly used measurements

• If you want to plot contours

  • Load_Pull > G_LPCM plots contours

  • Load_Pull > G_LPCM_A plots contours aligned to a specified value (like 1 dB compression)

  • Load_Pull > G_LPCM_C2 plots the intersection between two contours

• If you want to plot contour interpolated min or max values

  • Load_Pull > G_LPCMMIN plots the contour min value

  • Load_Pull > G_LPCMMAX plots contour max value

• If you want to plot a single contour at a specified value

  • Load_Pull > G_LPCM_V plots a single contour at a specified value

• If you want to see the gamma points in your file

  • Load_Pull > G_LPGPM plots gamma points for a swept load impedance

• If you want to plot swept data on a rectangular plot (like PAE vs. output power)

  • Data > PlotMD_R plots real data with an x and y-axis chose in the measurement (like PAE vs. output power)

The new load pull simulation script doesn't seem to auto-generate Graphs for me. Is that intended?

Yes, that's by design. With the old load pull script the user had selected the measurements which they wanted to capture, and the only swept dimension was the load gamma. ?Therefore it was relatively easy to know what to plot. With the new load pull?script?the output data is A/B waves. ?Thus, there are a lot more degrees of freedom in what values to plot. Similarly, the swept load pull data adds dimensionality to the data which makes auto-plotting complex. For example, plotting all PAE contours at all swept power points would probably not be very useful. We're open to the idea of bringing auto-plotting back if we feel that there is consensus on what plots would be universally useful. If you have some thoughts on this please share them with the?AWR?Product Marketing team.

Are 2nd and 3rd harmonic load pull (including nested harmonic sweeps) and two-tone load pull supported?

Yes, in v12.01+. Please see Swept_Load_Pull_Measurements_Complete for example.

Are 4th and 5th harmonic load and source pull supported?

Possibly, it depends on your application. For more information please contact the?AWR?Product Marketing team.

Is source pull supported?

Yes, in v13+. ?Please see Swept_Load_Pull_Measurements_Complete for example.

Is System load pull (i.e. ACPR / EVM load pull) supported?

Yes, in v13+. ?Please see System_Load_Pull for example.

Can I de-embed a package model from my load pull data?

Yes, as of v12.01. Please see the?de-embedding documentation or the fully featured swept load pull as shown in Swept_Load_Pull_Measurements_Complete example.

Is it also possible to plot contours with a network embedded, instead of de-embedded?

Yes, by using a NEG2 block to negate your embedding network in a schematic and then de-embedding the schematic the network will end up being embedded. Since that's a little confusing here's a link to an example project.

When doing simulated load pull can I record the load pull A/B waves at the device model intrinsic pins?

Yes, as of v12.01. If the model has exposed internal pins as top level pins?then connecting the A/B wave voltage and current meters to those pins and performing a simulated load pull will accomplish this. If the internal device pins are only exposed inside a subcircuit model or as nodes that are only visible in the Measurement dialog then please contact technical support for detailed instructions.

Is it possible to run the load pull without the having the dialog pop up every time?

Yes, there is a headless mode. ?Please contact the AWR?Product Marketing team for more details.

Is it possible to use different meters to record the DC information than the A/B wave information?

Yes, this is supported. This is common in the case where a device is biased internally or in the case that load pull is being done on a matched device. Please contact the AWR?Product Marketing team for more details.

My model is converging poorly and that's creating bad load pull data (i.e. data with PAE > 100% or < 0%) which makes plotting contours and looking at min / max values difficult. Can you help with that?

Yes, it's supported in a beta release of v12. Please contact AWR Technical Support awr.support@ni.com?if you would like to access this functionality.

Can I see how a metric at one harmonic plotted is impacted by the swept gamma at another harmonic? In other words, can I see the impact of 2nd and 3rd harmonic gammas on fundamental output power or PAE?

Yes, as of v12.01. Please see the G_LPCM_EX measurement documentation for details or the fully featured swept load as shown in Swept_Load_Pull_Measurements_Complete example.

What is the difference between G_Compress and Compress_1dB?

There is no difference if Align to specify value is set to 1 for G_Compress. Compress_1dB does not use the Align to specify value.

How is gain compression defined for G_Compress, Compress_1dB, and Compress_2dB?

It is defined as compression from the first power point, which, ideally, is the linear gain. For gain compression defined from maximum gain use G_CompressMG.

How is gain compression defined for G_CompressMG?

It is defined as compression from maximum gain. For gain compression defined from linear gain (or from the first input power point) use G_Compress.

How do I set the iPower index when using aligned measurements? Since the data is aligned what does this index even mean?

As of v12.01, the iPower index on aligned measurements is set automatically by choosing Auto Align.