How to Perform a Noise Simulation in Cadence

First open the Cell View of the circuit you wish to perform the noise analysis on.

Start the ADE by going to Launch -> ADE L.

To set up the simulation click on Analysis -> Choose....

Select noise as the analysis type, and enter the range of frequencies you'd like to simulate in the Start and Stop boxes.

There are two ways to set up what to use of the output of the simulation. Choosing the probe option from the drop down allows you to select a transistor from your circuit to be analyzed.

You can also choose to monitor the output voltage noise by selecting the wires in your schematic that represent the positive and negative voltage output.

Finally, for the input make sure to select none and then click OK.

To set up a data plot, right click the box under Outputs and select Edit. This will bring up the output dialog.

Enter any name you wish, and in the Expression box enter VN() if you would like your results to be V/sqrt(Hz) or VN2() if you'd prefer the results in V^2/Hz. Click Add and then OK.

Your simulation is ready to run. Click the green play button to start the simulation and display the results.

There is an error in cadence when displaying the plot. If VN2() is the expression you chose to plot the units on the graph will still read V/sqrt(Hz) (as shown above). The data that is plotted, however, is correct and in the proper units (you can plot and compare both expressions to check for yourself).

Finally, more in depth information can be gained by looking at the results at one particular frequency. To do this, on the ADE window select Results -> Print -> Noise Summary. In the box that pops up, select the frequency that you're interested in and click Include All Types then OK. A window will display the total noise at the given frequency and which parts of the circuit contribute to that noise.