3 April 2017

Synopsys releases RSoft Photonic Component Design Suite version 2017.03 for opto device analysis

Synopsys Inc of Mountain View, CA, USA - which provides electronic design automation (EDA) software, semiconductor IP and services for chip and electronic system design - has announced the latest release of its RSoft Photonic Component Design Suite for photonic devices and components used in optical communications, optoelectronics and semiconductor manufacturing.

Version 2017.03 accelerates optoelectronic device analysis with an updated interface to Synopsys’ Sentaurus TCAD (technology computer-aided design) products and new general monitor objects in the RSoft BeamPROP tool that can speed simulations of waveguide photodetectors by as much as 100x compared with finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) methods.

The release also builds on the RSoft tools’ capabilities for modeling nanoscale optical structures with an improved bi-directional scattering distribution function (BSDF) calculation for mixed-level LED/OLED simulations.

Sentaurus TCAD interface: enhanced usability and faster waveguide photodetector simulations

The Sentaurus TCAD interface provides seamless integration of the RSoft optical tools in Sentaurus Workbench for in-depth, multi-disciplinary simulations of optoelectronic devices. Usability improvements include support for systems with dispersive materials and dynamic updates of materials and the common simulation area. Native bi-directional data interchange between the RSoft tools and Sentaurus Workbench has been expanded to include the BeamPROP tool for waveguide detector simulation, giving designers what is claimed to be a substantial speed advantage. Specifically, BeamPROP’s new general monitor objects perform highly efficient optical power absorption calculations to speed photodetector simulations by up to 100x compared with FDTD-based methods. This enables faster device characterization and optimization and also reduces time-to-market and development costs, says Synopsys.

“Designers can use the RSoft-Sentaurus TCAD interface for accurate, high-speed simulations of complex optoelectronics that benefit from both photonic and electronic simulations,” says George Bayz, VP & general manager of Synopsys’ Optical Solutions Group. “For example, the new version offers significantly faster simulations of waveguide detectors used in photonic integrated circuits.”

Improved BSDF scattering calculation

The new release improves Synopsys’ LightTools and RSoft mixed-level co-simulation method, which combines ray- and wave-based techniques to incorporate polarized diffraction effects in LightTools’ ray-tracing simulator with accuracy and efficiency. The co-simulation method uses the RSoft BSDF capability, which now performs more robust scattering calculations of polarization-dependent effects in nanoscale optical structures. This can be useful for designing LEDs and OLEDs used in high-efficiency backlights, projection display lighting and sensors, says Synopsys.

Tags: PIC EDA software Simulation software Synopsys

Visit: http://optics.synopsys.com/rsoft