What's New in Photonic Solutions

Photonic Solutions 2023.03 Software Releases

We are pleased to announce the availability of version 2023.03 of OptoCompiler, OptSim, the RSoft Photonic Device Tools, and OptoDesigner.

 

Synopsys OptoCompiler 2023.03 Release Highlights:

  • Python Enablement of OptoDesigner Primitives
  • Arbitrary Port Names in OptoDesigner Engine
  • Enhanced multi-channel support in E-O co-simulation
  • Enhanced support for MATLAB co-simulation in OptoCompiler-based simulations
  • New support for parameter out-of-range warnings in Black-Box SOA model
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements

For details about these and many other enhancements in this release, log into SolvNetPlus and then see the Synopsys OptoCompiler Release Notes.

 

Synopsys OptSim Elite 2023.03 Release Highlights:

  • Enhanced multi-channel support in E-O co-simulation
  • Enhanced support for MATLAB co-simulation in OptoCompiler-based simulations
  • New support for parameter out-of-range warnings in Black-Box SOA model
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements

For details about these and many other enhancements in this release, log into SolvNetPlus and then see the Synopsys OptSim Release Notes.

 

Synopsys OptSim Base 2023.03 Release Highlights:

  • New support for parameter out-of-range warnings in Black-Box SOA model
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements

For details about these and many other enhancements in this release, log into SolvNetPlus and then see the Synopsys OptSim Release Notes.

 

RSoft Photonic Device Tools 2023.03 Release Highlights:

  • MetaOptic Designer improvements, including the ability to load refractive lenses from CODE V so that hybrid optical systems combining metalenses and refractive lenses can be easily designed and optimized.
  • Improved performance for the RSoft Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Function (BSDF) user-defined optical properties (UDOP) when using a single thread within LightTools. The processing speed is improved by up to 2x.
  • Updated TCAD Interface features, including support for the new TDR format used by Sentaurus 2022.12 for optical simulations and a new RSoft TCAD Wizard to assist with design file and simulation script creation.
  • Python 3 support for layout and data manipulation APIs.

For details about these and many other enhancements in this release, log into SolvNetPlus and then see the RSoft Photonic Device Tools Release Notes.

 

Synopsys OptoDesigner 2023.03 Release Highlights:

  • Added `ml::BendEulerFullEffective`, which has the same shape as the `ml::BendEulerFull`, but changes its internal radius to make the ports be identical to those obtained using a standard circular bend.
  • The origin port of a layout (which is the location that will be at [0,0] when instantiating it from OptoCompiler) can now be set to be anything. If nothing is supplied, the old behavior applies ('in0' if it exists, then 'out0' if it exists, then 'dc0' if it exists, then 'rf0' if it exists, and finally the reference input port).
  • Both the OptoDesigner Engine (OptoCompiler integration of OptoDesigner scripts) and the Bidirectional Interface (co-design with OptSim) now support arbitrary port names. Previously, only 'standard' names like 'in0', 'out0', 'dc0', etc., were supported. Now, any name may be used. The OptoDesigner autorouter also supports any port names.

For details about these and many other enhancements in this release, log into SolvNetPlus and then see the Synopsys PIC Design Suite Release Notes.


Photonic Solutions 2022.06 Software Releases

Synopsys OptoCompiler 2022.06 Release Highlights

  1. Photonic enhancements and fixes:
    • FlexConnector family PolyLine Reshape no longer experiences a slowdown
    • Back-annotation of devices that are internally hierarchical no longer breaks
    • Connectors take subgrid offset into account (for seamless abutment)
    • Fixed photonic align subgrid offset test for R180 placement
    • Added ‘-lpp’ parameter to ps::busMockup to enable any layer-purpose pair for the mockup layout
    • pxFlexConnectorManhattan no longer causes an infinite loop when straightName or arcName are empty strings
    • Proper behavior when setting parameters back to default; all Tcl procedures that generate CDF now set the storeDefault flag
    • Radius property value on outward-facing ports now has the correct sign
    • All connectors no longer lose connectivity when evaluation fails
  2. Design Checking, Physical Verification, and Extraction (PVE)
    • A new feature, Partial Layout Extraction (PLE) is available to speed up analog design closure. The flow can help avoid extra design iterations by providing accurate simulation results based on best-available parasitics and layout dependent effects, long before the layout is complete and LVS clean. The PLE workflow integrates the signoff StarRC, IC Validator and PrimeSim engines in a way that delivered signoff quality results in an interactive setting during a layout creation process. 
    • Exploring GPD parasitic database from schematic view 
  3. Co-design
    • New Export to Fusion Compiler and Export to IC Compiler II commands
    • New Validate for Fusion Compiler and Validate for IC Compiler II
  4. Custom Compiler Environment
    • Python Support
    • Selection Table Assistant 
  5. In-Design Electrical Reporting
    • New EM Calculator
    • EM reporter 
      • Descriptions are added for dynamic electromigration analysis. See Types of EM Analysis and Workflow for Dynamic EM Analysis.
      • The new Load Report in Results Browser
  6. Layout
    • Merge highlighted shapes on the layout canvas
  7. PrimeWave Design Environment
    • Monte Carlo Enhancements: Sigma Amplification and Fast Sensitivity
    • Back-Annotation Enhancement: Print SPF Annotation Results
    • PrimeSim XA Enhancement to Block Level Options
    • New Help Buttons in Property Editor for analogLib Elements
  8. Routing
    • Pattern Route Assistant
      • New Import and Export Custom Patterns command
      • New Add Custom Pattern to Catalog
  9. SDL and Visually Assisted Automation
    • Introduces new placement template
  10. Schematic Editor
    • Net Tracer Assistant enhancement

Synopsys OptoCompiler 2021.09-3 Release Highlights

Fixes and enhancements:

  • FlexConnector family PolyLine Reshape no longer experiences a slowdown
  • Back-annotation of devices that are internally hierarchical no longer breaks
  • Connectors take subgrid offset into account (for seamless abutment)
  • Fixed photonic align subgrid offset test for R180 placement
  • Added ‘-lpp’ parameter to ps::busMockup to enable any layer-purpose pair for the mockup layout
  • pxFlexConnectorManhattan no longer causes an infinite loop when straightName or arcName are empty strings
  • Proper behavior when setting parameters back to default; all Tcl procedures that generate CDF now set the storeDefault flag
  • Radius property value on outward-facing ports now has the correct sign
  • All connectors no longer lose connectivity when evaluation fails

Synopsys OptoDesigner 2022.06 Release Highlights

Fixes and enhancements:

  • mask::netlist() now has an extra parameter to display only certain elements
  • New function pda::getNetlistBBs returns a data structure with all layout instances in a pda netlist
  • Commenting out #endif in scripts now works as expected
  • Classes like vector_int are no longer part of the standard @layout, but must be included through #include @stdlib
  • pdk packing functionality
  • gds file import correctly interprets mirrored instantiations again
  • Trenching operations now support layer (0,0)
  • No longer removes nonstandardly-named 'PDAConfig.ini' when lib.defs file is present
  • pda::newBB now errors out if the requested name is an empty string
  • Invalid characters in loaded scripts now properly detected and replaced by spaces
  • Invalid character encoding in loaded scripts detected
  • Help menu xml can also be loaded without an internet connection
  • pxBusGuide with single waveguide now uses specified radius
  • Fixed bug in Concat function that could invert the sign of the first entry
  • BendEulerFull with negative angle now has correct output port location
  • ml::CircleSegment no longer triggers erroneous mcsCurveCheck errors
  • Fixed crash in export for very rare cases

Synopsys OptSim 2022.06 Release Highlights

New Support for Multimode Simulations for PICs

Most Photonic Integrated Circuits (PIC) are designed with fundamental modes. However, applications for multimode silicon photonics are on the rise. These applications include mode-division multiplexing, multimode coupling, on-chip nonlinear photonics, on-chip polarization handling devices and multimode gratings, and quantum photonics. To be able to model multimode photonic applications, the photonic simulators need to evolve from supporting few modes (TE, TM and crosstalk) to supporting multimode simulation, analyses and visualization.

  1. Synopsys OptSim 2022.06 adds new model templates and modeling capabilities as enumerated below to facilitate multimode PIC simulations:
    • Additional model templates for:
      • Mode Adder
      • Mode Splitter 
      • Mode Combiner
      • Polarized Mode Splitter
      • Polarized Mode Combiner
  2. New multimode support in the Waveguide model template
  3. New multimode support in the Multiport Optical Device Bidirectional model template


Added Support for Monte Carlo Analyses

Variations in manufacturing processes and component parameters require rigorous Monte Carlo analyses in order to get realistic estimates of the yield and commercial viability of the design. The Synopsys OptoCompiler platform provides powerful capabilities for Monte Carlo and corner analyses. Since traditional CMOS designers are a key user group of electronic-photonic design automation (EPDA), it is necessary to augment the design experience by providing EDA-like Monte Carlo features to the design flow. Synopsys OptSim v2022.06 adds a new support for statistical expressions during Monte Carlo simulation (e.g., UNIF, AUNIF, GAUSS, AGAUSS, LIMIT) in Synopsys OptoCompiler.


Enhancements to Electronic-Photonic Co-Simulation

Synopsys OptoCompiler and the Synopsys PrimeWave design environment provide designers with seamless schematic entry and simulation setup for both electronics and photonics on the same chip or combination of chips. Designers choose a desired Synopsys PrimeSim electrical simulator (e.g., Synopsys PrimeSim Spice or PrimeSim HSPICE) for co-simulation with Synopsys OptSim. Synopsys OptoCompiler v2022.06 extends co-simulation support to schematics with multi-level, mixed-domain hierarchies including electronic and photonic devices.

Synopsys Photonic Device Compiler 2022.06 Release Highlights

  • Default option added for theta setting of port monitors
  • A number of updates to the Alchemy Flow:
  • Support for a number of new keywords including:
    • New model_types: Schematic
    • New device_type: FlexConnector, CompositeWaveguide
  • Miscellaneous usability improvements and bug fixes
Photonic Device Compiler | Synopsys

RSoft Photonic Device Tools 2022.06 Highlights

  • Added more outputs to LED Utility, luminance, radiance, and tristimulus values for LED simulation
  • Updated the interface with Synopsys Sentaurus TCAD to maintain compatibility with the new proprietary TDR data format, as well as input of custom Soref coefficients
  • Added new overlap monitor functionality and analysis
    • Includes plane wave and Gaussian test field options, in addition to the existing launch field and data file options
    • Displays the output polarization angle of a vector field
  • Added support of SEG/UGE batch scheduler for Cloud computation, in addition to LSF and PBS batch schedulers
  • Added Sapphire, TiO2, BK7 glass to the material library to support metalens design
  • Updated Python API supports the creation of RSoft CAD files via scripting, and includes improved debugging features
  • Synopsys Photonic Device Compiler, which utilizes the RSoft Photonic Device Tools and Custom PDK Utility to develop photonic devices within Synopsys OptoCompiler, adds Custom PDK Utility improvements in this release.
CMOS Image Sensor | Synopsys
RSoft Photonic Device Tools | Synopsys


Photonic Solutions 2021.09-2 Software Releases

We are pleased to announce the availability of version 2021.09-2 of the RSoft Photonic Device Tools, Synopsys OptSim and our Photonic IC Solutions. New features and improvements include:

 

Synopsys OptoCompiler 2021.09-2 Release Highlights:

  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements

Synopsys OptSim 2021.09-2 Release Highlights:

  • Enhancements to E-O co-simulation
    • The framework of E-O cosimulation was enhanced to support photonic models of an iPDK from a major foundry that added bidirectional signal flow to their iPDK
  • New GaussianVsWavelength filter type in Optical Filter model
    • The Optical Filter model of Synopsys OptSim represented a variety of analytic and user-defined optical filters. A new GaussianVsWavelength filter type was added to the model. It uses a Gaussian filter response as a function of wavelength to filter the optical signal amplitude.  The user specifies the 3dB bandwidth and the order of the filter. 
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements
     

Synopsys Photonic Device Compiler 2021.09-2 Release Highlights:

  • Improvements to the Custom PDK Utility Alchemy Design Flow
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements


Version 2021.09-1 Service Release

On November 9, we released version 2021.09-1 of Synopsys OptoCompiler, Synopsys OptSim and Synopsys Photonic Device Compiler. Updates include:

  • E/O co-simulation is now more integrated than ever
  • Synopsys OptoDesigner script files can now be encrypted
  • Engineering notation support added to tcls helper function
  • A new thermal phase shifter model that allows analytic and data file-based modeling of thermal phase shift in PICs
  • New gain and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) data file-based behavioral model of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)
  • New behavioral model of lasers based on measured power vs. current (L-I) curve
  • Improved models for waveguides and phase shifters that account for parametric variations in effective index files as a function of device geometry
  • Improved photodetector model now has an additional frequency response option
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes


Photonic Solutions 2021.09 Release

We are pleased to announce the availability of version 2021.09 of the RSoft Photonic Device Tools, Synopsys OptSim and our Photonic IC Solutions. New features and improvements include:


RSoft Photonic Device Tools:

  • New far-field calculation in inhomogeneous regions, enabling faster and more accurate calculations for total-scattered field calculations and LED extraction and radiation pattern calculations
  • Native support for LSF Batch Schedulers for FullWAVE FDTD and MOST clustered simulations that simplifies the use of high-performance computing systems
  • The RSoft Advanced BSDF UDOP now includes optical phase, enabling use with coherent ray tracing and compensating for the optical path length (OPL) in the Synopsys  LightTools ray tracing simulator
  • Increased number of concurrent processes per license seat to 32, enabling customers to simulate larger problems and more fully utilize computers with many CPU cores. This change applies to FullWAVE FDTD, BeamPROP BPM, ModePROP EME, DiffractMOD RCWA, and FemSIM FEM. Note that this change was first included in v2021.03-3
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements

Synopsys OptoCompiler:

  • Flexible bus waveguides, including:
    • Interactive waveguide routing of a whole bus of waveguides
    • Automatic fan-in and fan-out
    • Optional enforcement of length differences among the waveguides in the bus
  • More flexibility for single flex connectors
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements

Synopsys OptSim:

  • Support for Linear Time Invariant simulation speed-up with Synopsys OptoCompiler
  • Monte Carlo simulation enablement with PrimeWave
  • Ease of use and speed improvements for electro-optical co-simulation
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements

Synopsys Photonic Device Compiler:

  • Additional Custom PDK Utility workflow to simplify automatic cell creation for Synopsys OptoCompiler and Synopsys OptSim symbol, model, layout and LVS views

Synopsys OptoDesigner:

  • New bus framework with automatic length adjustments allows designers to easily route many waveguides with prescribed length differences around the chip, without the need for cumbersome manual adjustments
  • Script function override control to ensure that a function or layout definition is not accidentally overwritten, avoiding errors
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements
Synopsys Photonic Solutions Platform | Synopsys

Features

  • Complete photonic device simulation, analysis, and optimization solution 
  • Seamless integration with Synopsys OptoCompiler, Synopsys OptSim Elite, and IC Validator 
  • E/O device level co-simulation with Sentaurus TCAD 
  • Custom component design for foundry PDKs

Contact us at photonics@synopsys.com to learn more.


Software and License File Instructions

Direct-Sales Customers

Software and license key files for customers are available on the Synopsys SolvNetPlus website. If you need assistance accessing SolvNetPlus or obtaining the software and license codes, please contact photonics@synopsys.com.

International Customers

Some of our customers will obtain the software and license key files from their local software distributor. See the Synopsys Optical Solutions Group Global Contacts page for contact information. If your country is not listed on the Distributors page referenced above, please contact us at photonics@synopsys.com.


Follow Us On Social Media

Try our new QR code to see all our social channels at once!

Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and read our blog! This is an easy way to discover our latest events, online tech talks, Synopsys Webinars, application notes, industry news, and much more.