Touchstone File
Encyclopedia
A Touchstone file was originally a proprietary file format for the eponymous frequency-domain linear circuit simulator from EEsof
, launched in 1984 and now owned by Agilent Technologies
.
The Touchstone simulator has long since been superseded, but its file format lives on.
A Touchstone file (also known as an SnP file after its set of file extensions) is an ASCII
text file used for documenting the n-port network parameter
data and noise data of linear active devices, passive filters, passive devices, or interconnect networks. An example of the format of the S-parameter section is given in the article about S-parameters. In addition to S-parameters, other representations such as Y-parameters and Z-parameters can be recorded.
It later became a de facto industry-standard file format not only for circuit simulators but also for measurement equipment (e.g. vector network analyzers
, or VNAs), then later still an EIA
standard as part of the Input/output Buffer Information Specification (IBIS) project. On April 24, 2009, the IBIS Open Forum ratified version 2.0, superseding Version 1.1. Version 2.0 adds IBIS-style keywords such as
Several further enhancements to the file format that allow description of the non-linear behavior of the component have been developed under the P2D and S2D pair of formats, but these too have been superseded by the X-parameters
functionality.
EEsof
EEsof is an EDA company founded in 1983 by an entrepreneur, Charles J. Abronson, and a former Compact Software employee, Bill Childs.-History:...
, launched in 1984 and now owned by Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies , or Agilent, is a company that designs and manufactures electronic and bio-analytical measurement instruments and equipment for measurement and evaluation...
.
The Touchstone simulator has long since been superseded, but its file format lives on.
A Touchstone file (also known as an SnP file after its set of file extensions) is an ASCII
ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character-encoding scheme based on the ordering of the English alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, and other devices that use text...
text file used for documenting the n-port network parameter
Scattering parameters
Scattering parameters or S-parameters describe the electrical behavior of linear electrical networks when undergoing various steady state stimuli by electrical signals....
data and noise data of linear active devices, passive filters, passive devices, or interconnect networks. An example of the format of the S-parameter section is given in the article about S-parameters. In addition to S-parameters, other representations such as Y-parameters and Z-parameters can be recorded.
It later became a de facto industry-standard file format not only for circuit simulators but also for measurement equipment (e.g. vector network analyzers
Network analyzer (electrical)
A network analyzer is an instrument that measures the network parameters of electrical networks. Today, network analyzers commonly measure s–parameters because reflection and transmission of electrical networks are easy to measure at high frequencies, but there are other network parameter...
, or VNAs), then later still an EIA
Electronic Industries Alliance
The Electronic Industries Alliance was a standards and trade organization composed as an alliance of trade associations for electronics manufacturers in the United States. They developed standards to ensure the equipment of different manufacturers was compatible and interchangeable...
standard as part of the Input/output Buffer Information Specification (IBIS) project. On April 24, 2009, the IBIS Open Forum ratified version 2.0, superseding Version 1.1. Version 2.0 adds IBIS-style keywords such as
[Reference], which permits per-port definition of the reference environment.Several further enhancements to the file format that allow description of the non-linear behavior of the component have been developed under the P2D and S2D pair of formats, but these too have been superseded by the X-parameters
X-parameters
X-parameters are a mathematical superset of S-parameters and are used for characterizing the amplitudes and relative phase of harmonics generated by nonlinear components under large input power levels.-Description:...
functionality.