Nice: an optimization system for computer aided design of electrical circuits

A description is given of Nice, a general-purpose optimization system that can be coupled to a performance evaluator such as a circuit simulator to provide designers with optimization techniques for the adjustment of the parameters of a design. Nice features a rich library of optimization algorithms as well as a powerful graphics interface. Multiple objectives and functional constraints can be described by means of a specialized optimization language. The coupling of Nice to the SPICE 3 circuit simulator is presented, and an example of circuit optimization is shown. Nice exhibits satisfactory results and shows performances better than that of similar systems.<<ETX>>