Shared Features
Support for Amazon Linux and Windows Server 2019
Amazon Linux and Windows Server 2019 are now officially supported as HPC/cloud platform for running Lumerical products.
Format and precision specification in num2str command
The script command num2str converts an integer, floating point number, or matrix into a string. It is now possible to specify the format and precision of the output using a subset of the options in the Boost format notation. For more information please visit our documentation.
Online activation for all MAC and TRIAD MAC licenses
Customers purchasing a MAC locked license model receive an activation code to obtain the corresponding license file for the machine where FlexLM will be hosted. This is particularly useful for online self-activation of FDTD Burst Packs. For more information please visit our documentation.
New script commands to query setup and analysis script properties and results
The new script commands queryuserprop, queryanalysisprop and queryanalysisresult return the setup/analysis script property/result names and the numeric code for their type.
DEVICE Suite
Multi-Quantum Well (MQW) solver
The new Multi-Quantum Well (MQW) solver simulates quantum mechanical behavior in atomically thin semiconductor layers, enabling engineers to accurately characterize band structure, gain and spontaneous emission in multi-quantum well structures. A preview release of the MQW solver was available in 2019b-R2 for early evaluations and benchmark tests. The solver has proven to be effective for calculating spontaneous emission and gain spectra for different types of active devices (e.g. SOAs, edge emitting lasers and VCSELs), which are key inputs to Lumerical’s travelling wave laser model (TWLM). In concert with INTERCONNECT and the TWLM, the MQW gain solver enables complete modeling and simulation of SOAs and edge emitting lasers. It is now included in the Lumerical Launcher as part of the DEVICE Multiphysics suite, allowing users without a MQW license to self-serve a trial. For more information please visit our documentation.
FDTD engine checkpointing
FDTD users have now the option to either checkpoint at shutdown anytime the simulation ends (except when Quit & don’t save is selected), or the option to periodically checkpoint during simulation, and the facilities to later launch and resume that simulation. These capabilities provide great flexibility to run large simulations, for example in spot-instances (and other large shared computing resources) that require the ability to interrupt low-priority long-running tasks, sometimes with little notice. Users can also pause a simulation to check its current status and then resume it if necessary. It is even possible to adjust the autoshutoff level without having to restart the whole simulation. Checkpointing can be configured in the Advanced options of the FDTD solver edit window and simulations can be resumed from the GUI with the resume button or via script. For more information see this SPARK video.
Ability to collect data in a custom frequency grid in monitors in FDTD
FDTD users can now set the frequency spacing for frequency-domain field monitors, refractive index monitors and mode expansion monitors using a Chebyshev grid (in frequency or wavelength) or a custom frequency grid. The new frequency spacing options are available also in the Global monitor properties. See the original IX idea.
Global optimization for Photonic Inverse Design (PID) using basin-hopping approach
Lumerical’s photonic inverse design (PID) package lumopt now incorporates global optimization using the basin-hopping method. In concert with penalty-function constraints, basin-hopping enables the optimizer to efficiently explore a much broader parameter space, ensuring more consistent identification of optimal designs. The Python based open source PID implementation is packaged together with Lumerical FDTD for ease of deployment. Alternatively, the original source code is freely available on GitHub at https://github.com/chriskeraly/lumopt. To help new users get started with PID, examples such as this Grating coupler, are included in Lumerical’s Application Gallery.
Export to INTERCONNECT tools in EME wavelength sweep tool
The results from the wavelength sweep tool in EME, including group delay, can now be automatically saved in a text file that can be imported in the Optical N-port S-parameter element in INTERCONNECT. See the original IX idea.
Script command to export/import optical Material Database in FDTD and MODE
The new script commands exportmaterialdb and importmaterialdb allow users to save/load material properties in the Material Database to/from a .mdf file using the scripting environment.
SYSTEM Suite
Script command importlib to run corner analysis in INTERCONNECT
The new script command importlib accesses an specified .lib file and applies the changes in parameter values defined there to each (applicable) element in the current project file.
Report key 1D laser simulation results from TWLM
The Traveling Wave Laser Model (TWLM) in INTERCONNECT now returns the following optical properties as a function of position:
• carrier density profile
• photon density
• forward/backward power density
• recombination rates (non-radiative and radiative)
• gain spectra
• spontaneous emission spectra
• lumped gain spectra (single pass)
Improved interpolation in setsparameter script command for multiple frequency points
The setsparameter script command with the ‘propagation’ option models waveguides with loss, effective and group index, dispersion and dispersion slope specified at one or multiple frequency points. The interpolation scheme between different frequency points in the data has been improved to avoid discontinuities in the propagation constant used in the model.
CML Compiler documentation in Support portal
The documentation for the CML compiler has been migrated to the Support portal where users can now find the documentation for all Lumerical products. A valid CML Compiler license is required to access some of the contents.
CML Compiler generates compact models with statistical variations
CML compiler users can create compact model libraries with elements that account for statistical variations, allowing the end-user of the CML to perform Monte-Carlo simulations and corner analysis. For more information please visit our documentation (access requires valid CML Compiler license).
CML Compiler available with Lumerical installation package
The CML compiler installation folder is now included in the installation package of all Lumerical products which can be downloaded here. For more information please visit our documentation (access requires valid CML Compiler license).
Verilog-A oscilloscope shows results for all channels and modes (CML Compiler)
The oscilloscope for Verilog-A photonic models allows users to view results of all channels and two fundamental modes with a single simulation. In the past, users were restricted to a single channel and mode per simulation.
Template library for CML compiler only accessible by running cml-compiler command with new argument
The Lumfoundry template library can now only be deployed by using the cml-compiler command with the “template” argument. The deployed template library contains all the source data and configuration files (fully editable) required for building your first CML with the CML compiler. For more information please visit our documentation (access requires valid CML Compiler license).
Interoperability Products
Virtuoso ADE GUI entry for displaying INTERCONNECT co-simulation netlist
The existing INTERCONNECT netlists for co-simulation testbench are now conveniently displayed in the Virtuoso ADE window under the tree of INTERCONNECT co-simulation setup, so that users do not have to recreate the netlist every time they are setting up their testbench.