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This newsletter provides the latest information on Synopsys Photonic 91³Ô¹ÏÍø including product announcements, new papers, tech talks, upcoming events, and more.
- New Releases Available
- Upcoming Events
- Spotlight on Recent Events
- Foundry Spotlight: imec
- New Blog Article
- Streamline Photonic Design with Synopsys' Cloud-Based SaaS Platform
- Latest SolvNetPlus Knowledge Base Articles
- Industry Articles
- Follow Us
Photonic 91³Ô¹ÏÍø Software Updates
New Synopsys OptoCompiler and Synopsys OptSim Releases
Synopsys OptoCompiler and Synopsys OptSim version 2024.09 includes the following change:
Layout-Only Waveguides and Crossings
Instead of explicitly instantiating waveguide connections and crossings in the schematic, Synopsys OptoCompiler now allows for ¡®transparent¡¯ waveguides, connectors and crossings, which can be used to implement the nets in the schematic however the layout engineer sees fit ¨C which greatly simplifies the schematic design from
To a much simplified design without symbols for the waveguides and crossings, very much like an electrical schematic
Whose layout may look like
Utilities and assistants are available in OptoCompiler to instantiate waveguide connectors and crossings, during the layout creation phase.
For post-layout simulation, a view can be generated (with StarRC or without) that contains not only the components from the schematic, but also those implemented in the layout (and, when using StarRC, extracted electrical resistances and capacitances).
RSoft Photonic Device Tools
The RSoft Photonic Device Tools 2024.09 release includes many new features to improve usability and speed for improved photonic device/grating simulation:
- Support for GPU-based FDTD simulation in FullWAVE FDTD
- Supports NVIDIA GPU hardware
- Significant speedup, exact speedup is hardware/problem dependent
- Non-orthogonal unit cells in DiffractMOD RCWA
- More efficient simulation of hexagonal lattice structures
- RSoft BSDF files produced with this new feature can be fully used by the RSoft BSDF UDOP in LightTools and MetaOptic Designer
- Support for far-field and MTF targets for MetaOptic Designer
- Enables inverse design and simulation of metalens with specific far-field or MTF targets
For details about these and many other enhancements in this release, see the RSoft Photonic Device Tools Release Notes on SolvNetPlus.
If you have any questions about features in this release, please contact photonics_support@synopsys.com.
Upcoming Events
Event
Event
PIC Summit Europe
15¨C16 October 2024 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Event
Optica Photonic-Enabled Cloud Computing (PECC) Industry Summit
22¨C23 October 2024 in Sunnyvale, CA
Event
TSMC Global Open Innovation Platform Ecosystem Forum
25 September 2024 in Santa Clara, CA
Training
RSoft Photonic Device Tools Discovery Training
September 25, 2024 4:00¨C7:00 p.m. CEST (Europe) 7:00¨C10:00 a.m. PDT (North America)
Spotlight on Recent Events
TSRI Joint Internship
A joint internship between Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute and Synopsys Taiwan was successfully completed in August 2024.
Nine talented students coming from Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Lithuania and Poland worked in the Synopsys Hsinchu office for group projects. These projects covered very novel topics in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) such as:
- Programable Photonic Integrated Circuits for Logic Gates
- Photonic Integrated Circuits for Bio-sensing
- Neuromorphic Photonics
- Chip-based Quantum Key Distribution
During this internship, they learned the unified electro-optical integrated circuit design flow on the Synopsys OptoCompiler platform and developed these circuits using OptSim and OptoCompiler. Additionally, through group meetings and discussions, they validated these circuits, making them ready for further development into real applications.
Epiphany Collaboration
We are proud to announce our new collaboration with Epiphany, a pioneering photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design house based in Enschede, Netherlands. As a member of the PhotonDelta ecosystem, Epiphany will leverage Synopsys electronic and photonic design tools to accelerate the adoption of integrated photonics technology. Together, we aim to push the boundaries of innovation and deliver cutting-edge solutions in the photonics industry.
Learn more about Epiphany:
Photo: Epiphany CEO J?rn Epping and Synopsys Photonic 91³Ô¹ÏÍø Engineering Director Sander Roosendaal at Epiphany headquarters.
Foundry Spotlight: imec
Within a collaborative R&D program on optical I/O, the next-generation of silicon photonics technology is developed at imec. Did you know that this state-of-the-art is also available for prototyping and manufacturing through various business models?
- Imec offers its integrated silicon photonics iSiPP50G platform to multiple partners at fixed tape-in dates, through regular .
- This iSiPP50G platform can be extended with process customization options through dedicated and flexible . These are tuned to the needs of a single partner and can be implemented on both 200mm and 300mm wafers.
- To enable a faster time to market, imec also offers design services to leverage the iSiPP PDK and develop application-specific designs. This includes for integration with silicon photonics.
In 2023, imec demonstrated the . This enables single-PIC solutions to combine active and passive functions.
Build your own prototype with iSiPP200 or iSiPP300
Imec¡¯s 50G silicon photonics platform co-integrates a wide variety of passive and active 50Gbd building blocks in a single platform. The platform targets cost-effective, high-performance 50Gb/s NRZ and 100Gb/s PAM-4 optical link solutions for telecom and datacom.
The key components such as the Mach-Zehnder modulators, the monitor photodetector, the high-bandwidth photodetector, and the thermo-optic phase shifters have successfully passed reliability qualification.
The versatility of the platform also enables other integrated photonics applications, such as coherent lidar, biosensing, and computing.
Custom designs are made by our fabless partners, who send their GDS tape to imec. A silicon validated process design kit (PDK) is available, which is supported by various EDA tools, such as the Synopsys OptoCompiler design platform. Photonic circuit schematic capture and simulation is enabled by Synopsys Optsim, allowing electro-optic co-simulation and analysis together with industry standard electronic simulators. Synopsys IC validator is used to seamlessly realize Photonics LVS and DRC verification. The PDK libraries are updated with enhanced performance components developed through imec¡¯s Optical IO program leveraging the Synopsys TCAD suite of products
After design verification, processing is done on either 200mm (iSiPP200) or 300mm (iSiPP300) wafers. As part of the integration flow, iSiPP50G imec offers standard modules as well as extra module options.
At the end of the process, the individual building blocks are tested using process control module tests on a fully-automated wafer-scale tester.
Learn more about imec:
New Blog Article
Accelerating Photonic Chip Development: PhotonDelta and Synopsys Partnership
PhotonDelta is a non-profit organization that supports an end-to-end value chain in the Netherlands for photonic chips that designs, develops, and manufactures innovative solutions that contribute to a better world. The organization creates global awareness and promotes the benefits and potential of the Dutch and European photonic chip industry and its technologies.
Streamline Photonic Design with Synopsys' Cloud-Based SaaS Platform
Synopsys' Photonic Cloud instance provides cloud-based tools for designing and optimizing photonic integrated circuits, offering scalability, seamless EDA integration, and a collaborative environment. It aims to streamline the photonic design process and reduce associated costs.
Latest SolvNetPlus Knowledge Base Articles
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Industry Articles
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