SMART Photonics, Lumerical Partner for Industry Standardization

Photonics foundry SMART Photonics BV has collaborated with photonic simulation software developer Lumerical Inc. to develop a compact model library (CML) for their indium phosphide (InP)-integrated photonics platform and the associated process design kit (PDK), working towards industry standardization.

The CML enables circuit designers to reliably model behavior and performance of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) within Lumerical’s photonic integrated circuit simulator, INTERCONNECT, reducing costly design errors and dramatically accelerating time-to-market. Combined with SMART Photonics’ frequent multiproject wafer (MPW) shuttle run, this provides designers with an excellent platform to prototype and refine new circuit designs quickly and efficiently.

“As a developer of a silicon planar optical MEMS platform, AEPONYX supports the development of III-V components optimized for efficient hybrid integration,” said Francois Menard, chief technology officer and co-founder of AEPONYX Inc. “It’s exciting to see two recognized industry leaders like Lumerical and SMART Photonics working together towards industry standardization. Having a reliable set of parameterized compact models on a powerful platform like INTERCONNECT is a game-changing development to achieve first-time-right designs.”

The new CML contains more than twenty-five parameterized compact models, which have been carefully calibrated with a combination of experimental data, provided by SMART, and high-accuracy 3D physical simulations using Lumerical’s industry-leading suite of component-level modeling tools. The library includes passive and active devices, such as phase modulators, amplifiers, and photodetectors, providing an extensive and flexible set of building blocks for creating complex PIC designs. Each model in the library enables both frequency- and time-domain circuit simulation, equipping designers with a complete set of analysis tools to design PICs for any application.

“We are very pleased by the collaborative work done by our partners at Lumerical to rapidly develop a comprehensive compact model library for our InP-based integration platform,” said Luc Augustin, chief technology officer at SMART Photonics. “This CML is unique in its design, as it brings together simulated data from trusted tools and real, measured performance for increased reliability. PIC designers around the world will be able to confidently use a schematic driven layout flow for a pure-play InP PIC foundry.”

With applications including high-speed data communications and biological and environmental sensing in fast moving fields like IoT and automotive, SMART’s frequent MPW shuttle runs afford designers the ability to quickly iterate through design-manufacture-test cycles to optimize PIC performance.

“Through this collaboration, we have deployed the leading 3D photonic simulation tools to help SMART enhance their PDK with the most advanced models available for both time- and frequency-domain simulation,” said James Pond, chief technology officer at Lumerical. “These accurate models are critical for PDK-driven design and enable engineers to focus on circuit performance rather than individual components.”