New Features

Shared Features

Export viewports to image

Users can export CAD viewports into JPEG figures by selecting "View -> Export view" from the main title bar.

Electron-hole density grid attribute

FDTD Solutions and MODE Solutions can now import electron-hole density data recorded on a finite-element mesh directly from a DEVICE simulation. This approach, which offers significant improvement over the previous (n, k) import option, reduces simulation memory requirements and interpolation errors.

GDSII export

Geometry data can be exported from Lumerical’s TCAD tools into GDSII files. Each GDSII file will be able to incorporate multiple simulation primitives from a single layer. See User guide - GDSII import/export for an example.

FDTD Solutions 8.7

Purcell Factor Calculator

The Purcell factor 1 will be automatically returned as a property of a dipole source, making it straightforward to study the emission rate enhancement of a spontaneous emitter located inside a cavity or resonator.

Graphene Material Model

Users can add Graphene material (volumetric approach) directly from the material database.

Note: The underlying file format of the simulation files (.fsp) created by FDTD Solutions 8.7 has changed. Version 8.7 can open simulation files created by older versions of the software, but older versions will not be able to open simulation files created by version 8.7.

MODE Solutions 6.6

Graphene Material Model

Users can add Graphene material (volumetric approach) directly from the material database.

INTERCONNECT 3.1

Optical Netlist Importing

The ability to import a SPICE netlist and create a corresponding PIC schematic, facilitating the analysis of optical circuit representations within third-party EDA tools.

Support for PDK Development

Better support for the development of process design kits (PDKs) with the inclusion of an extensive library of customizable compact models and lookup tables containing design intent parameters.

Result displays

Enhanced analyzers offers automatic update of results during runtime, allowing for displaying of real time waveform plots.

Extended Element Library

• Ring modulator element for the fast and accurate simulation of cascaded rings in the time and frequency domain.

• Electrical s-parameter elements to incorporate measured s-parameter data.

• Polarization elements including circular polarizers, beam splitters, waveplates and polarization rotators.

• Electrical elements including noise sources, electrical amplifiers and network analyzers to better simulate the electrical portion of mixed-signal circuits.

• Waveguide Bragg gratings for uniform, apodized, chirped, phased and sampled gratings.

• Time variant electrical filters for voltage dependent s-parameters.

Faster Circuit Analysis

INTERCONNECT’s new multi-threaded scattering data analysis engine allows for faster simulations of large scale photonic integrated circuits containing hundreds of elements. With the new multithreaded engine, the calculation speed of INTERCONNECT scales almost linearly with the number of cores, offering speedups of 10X or larger on modern workstations

S-parameters Data Validation

INTERCONNECT now includes validation tools to ensure that imported S-parameter data, whether from measurements or another simulation tool, obeys tests for reciprocity and passivity. If any imported data fails those checks, S-parameter data may be forced to obey these checks, ensuring that simulated results are more reliable in terms of accuracy and convergence.

New elements
Agilent ADS Export, Agilent ADS Import, Bragg Grating 1, Electrical Amplifier, Electrical Network Analyzer, Mentor Graphics Eldo Export, Mentor Graphics Eldo Import, Noise Source, Optical Amplifier, Optical Channel Analyzer, Optical Fiber 1, Optical Noise Source, Optical Ring Modulator, Read From Stream, Sampled Bragg Grating, Step Source, TV LP RC Filter, VD LP RC Filter, Write To Stream

New script commands
addproperty, addtolibrary, autoarrange, createcompound, eye, gdsaddcircle, gdsaddpoly, gdsaddrect, gdsaddref,gdsbegincell, gdsclose, gdsendcell, gdsopen, getports, getsetting, global, issweep, library, lookupclose, lookupopen,lookupread, lookupwrite, precision, setexpression, setsetting, simulation, touchstoneload, vectorplot, vtksave