A copper antenna is a long, thin, dangling section of copper that can act as an antennae for high speed designs. The Copper Antennae Rules dialog is used to define the maximum width and minimum length of copper which would be considered an antenna.

The general rule matching mechanism is described here.

Shortcuts

Menu: Setup

Default Keys: T

Command: Technology

Locating this option

Available from: Setup menu > Technology option > Rules - DFM/DFT - Copper Antennae page

Using the Copper Antennae Rules dialog

On selection, the Technology dialog opens, select Copper Antennae. The existing Copper Antennae Rules for the Technology being used will be presented.

Press the New button to add a new entry to the list. To edit an existing entry, select it, the row will be underlined with a red line. The information can then be edited directly in the cell row or in the editing pane below it.

Remove items from the list by selecting it and pressing the Delete button.

Each line in the grid represents a separate rule, rules are used in priority from the top of the list down. Use the Up and Down buttons to re-order the rows to make them more or less significant. These rules are applied in the order defined in this list, until the first match is found. You should therefore have the more specific rules (in terms of layer, area and sub net) defined at the top of the list.

Using the Selected button will report where the selected rule is used in the Technology. Likewise, using the All button will report where all the rules in this dialog are used in the Technology.

Using the editing pane

Attribute Name and Match

The appropriate Copper Antennae rule is found for each net item by working down the list of rules until the first match is found. Hence, the order of the rules is important. A match is when the specified Attribute Name and Match Value match attributes of a net item. The Copper Antennae rule must have the given attribute, and it’s value must wildcard match the value.

Max Width

The Max Width is the maximum width of copper for it to be considered an antenna.

Min Length

The Min Length is the minimum length of a copper strip for it to be considered an antenna.

Export and Import CSV

Use the Export CSV button to export the data in your PCB design into a CSV format file. Using the Export CSV option will provide you with a formatted template ready for you to edit in your own data.

Use the Import CSV button to import data back into the PCB design using a CSV format file.

The data in the file represents a spreadsheet of dialog contents with the data headings along the top row.

Design Rule Check | Export CSV | Import CSV