Introduction to PSpice

This introduction is valid for OrCad PSpice ver 9.2 lite edition. The lite edition or student edition of
the software is limited to designs with max 64 nodes and max 10 transistors. After the program is
installed start the schematic capture program Capture.
Select File / New Project
be sure to choose Analog or Mixed A/D. Browse to the location where
you want to save your project and give the project a name

In the schematic window choose Place / Part. The first time you have to add PSpice libraries. Select
Add / Library and select all libraries in the PSpice library directory.

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In this example we will draw and simulate this design

Use these commands to draw the schematic

Place / Part

MbreakN
MbreakP

Library BREAKOUT

Place / Ground

Library Source, you have to add this library to find the ground
symbol with name 0, in SPICE there has to be one node with
the name 0

Place / Part

VDC
IDC
VSIN

Library Source

Place / Wire

connect components with wires

Place / Net Alias

add name to nets in your design so it is easier to find signals or connecting nets
without actually drawing wires (VDD and VSS)

After drawing design and setting voltage and current sources the drawing would look like this.

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Next we need a SPICE model for the transistor and get the model connected to the actual transistor.
MOS_models should be in a plain text file and look something like this
* PSpice Model Editor - Version 9.2
*$
.model MOS_p PMOS Level=1
+ VTO=-0.8 KP=6.474E-5 LAMBDA=
+ GAMMA=2.675E-1 PHI=0.6 CGSO=0.35E-9 CGDO=0.35E-9
+ CJ=0.4E-3 CJSW=2.4E-9 MJ=0.4 MJSW=0.3 PB=0.7
+ TOX=80E-10 NSUB=4E16 NSS=1E11 XJ=0.18E-6 LD=0.09E-6
*$
.model MOS_n NMOS Level=1
+ VTO=0.6 KP=1.942E-4 LAMBDA=
+ GAMMA=9.457E-2 PHI=0.6 CGSO=0.35E-9 CGDO=0.35E-9
+ CJ=0.2E-3 CJSW=1.2E-9 MJ=0.5 MJSW=0.4 PB=0.7
+ TOX=80E-10 NSUB=5E15 NSS=1E11 XJ=0.15E-6 LD=0.09E-6
*$

Copy the model file (in this case MOS_models.lib) to the directory where your design is located (or
any other directory you prefer).
Create a simulation profile PSpice / New Simulation Profile, give it a name free of choice (in this
case I have chosen Transient). In Libraries, browse to the model file and add it to design.

The model file MOS_models.lib is now added to design.

The model name for nMos transistor is MOS_n. Change the attribute implementation from MbreakN
to MOS_n in your schematic. Do the same for p-MOS transistors, change it to MOS_p.

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The transistors area, W and L, is not specified in the model. This could be different for each transistor
so we will specify it in schematics. Select the transistor, right click and select Edit Properties... If you
right click in the property editor and choose Pivot it will look like this

Select attribute L and click on Display... and change the Display Properties to Name and Value. Do
the same with W. L and W should now be visible in your drawing.

Now the values of W and L could be changed. It could be convenient to use a constant for the length
because several transistors usually have the same length. This could be done with PARAM from
library Special. After placing PARAM edit its properties, select New line, give it the name L and
value 1u. Dont forget to make name and value visible. For the transistors, give L the value {L}. Give
also width W a value for the transistors.

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Now the design is ready to be simulated!

PSpice / Run or the Play button. A new window appears where simulation results could be plotted.
Trace / Add Trace V(OUT)
4.0V

2.0V

0V

-2.0V
0s

V(OUT)

2ms

4ms

6ms

8ms

10ms

Time

It seems to be very high gain in this amplifier. Try to always be critical when you study simulation
results. Is this what should be expected? In this case there is no LAMBDA specified in the model and
the output conductance is zero for all transistors (infinite output resistance). If you go back to Capture
and change the simulation profile and in Out File Options... specify to Include detailed bias point
information... and rerun the simulation

If you from Capture open output file with PSpice / View Out File you could find bias point
information and all small signal parameters for all transistors.
**** MOSFETS
NAME
MODEL
ID
VGS
VDS
VBS
VTH
VDSAT
Lin0/Sat1
if
ir
TAU
GM
GDS
GMB
CBD
CBS
CGSOV
CGDOV
CGBOV
CGS
CGD
CGB

M_M1
MOS_n
1.00E-05
6.41E-01
3.07E+00
0.00E+00
6.00E-01
4.11E-02
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
4.87E-04
0.00E+00
2.97E-05
0.00E+00
0.00E+00
1.75E-14
1.75E-14
0.00E+00
1.18E-13
0.00E+00
0.00E+00

M_M2
MOS_n
1.00E-05
6.41E-01
3.07E+00
0.00E+00
6.00E-01
4.11E-02
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
4.87E-04
0.00E+00
2.97E-05
0.00E+00
0.00E+00
1.75E-14
1.75E-14
0.00E+00
1.18E-13
0.00E+00
0.00E+00

M_M3
MOS_p
-1.00E-05
-8.71E-01
-8.71E-01
0.00E+00
-8.00E-01
-7.12E-02
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
2.81E-04
0.00E+00
4.85E-05
0.00E+00
0.00E+00
1.75E-14
1.75E-14
0.00E+00
1.18E-13
0.00E+00
0.00E+00

M_M4
MOS_p
-1.00E-05
-8.71E-01
-8.71E-01
0.00E+00
-8.00E-01
-7.12E-02
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
-1.00E+00
2.81E-04
0.00E+00
4.85E-05
0.00E+00
0.00E+00
1.75E-14
1.75E-14
0.00E+00
1.18E-13
0.00E+00
0.00E+00

As you can see GDS equals zero.

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Go back to Capture, select one of the transistors, right click and select Edit PSpice model. Change
LAMBDA to 0.13 for both transistors. (Note that Lambda depends on channel length and voltage bias
so this value might not be valid in this case, this is just to illustrate how to change the model). The
change in the model will be valid for all transistors using the same model.
2.8V

2.4V

2.0V
0s

V(OUT)

2ms

4ms

6ms

8ms

10ms

Time

The amplitude of the output voltage could be read to 271 mV, so the gain is 271 (1 mV input voltage
amplitude). From output file
GDS

9.29E-07

9.29E-07

1.17E-06

1.17E-06

In transient analysis a large signal model is used for the transistors. If we do a small signal analysis,
AC sweep analysis.

Before you start the simulation you have to specify input voltage source for small signal analysis. This
could be done by changing input voltage source VSIN to VAC, but in this case I recommend to add
AC voltage to the source VSIN that you already have in design, so you could use same source symbol
to specify both transient analysis and AC analysis. Select input source, edit properties and make
attribute AC visible with name and value. Give it the value 1mV.

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274

272

270
10Hz
V(OUT)/V(IN)

100Hz

1.0KHz

10KHz

100KHz

1.0MHz

Frequency

The simulation gives a small signal voltage gain 274.

50

(6.2643M,45.785)
45

40
10Hz
100Hz
DB(V(OUT)/V(IN))

1.0KHz

10KHz

100KHz

1.0MHz

10MHz

Frequency

If we simulate higher in frequency and plot gain in dB, a -3dB-cutoff-frequency of 6.3 MHz could be
estimated with the help of cursors in display. Voltage gain in dB is 48.75 dB.
Some hints:
SPICE do not distinguish between m and M, use MEG for meg, M means milli.
Values and prefix should be typed without spaces. For example: 10u

not 10 u

DC voltages (or current) can be shown in schematic, press button V in Capture.

Voltage level markers (or current) could be used in Capture to show voltage immediately after
simulation in output display.
In output display:
If you after a new simulation want the same trace expression as in last plot:
Windows / Display Control... LAST SESSION Restore
Copy to Word or other program:
Window / Copy to Clipbord and paste the picture in Word.

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