Star Photonics® offers the Asteria© package for simulating Integrated Optics building blocks such as waveguide modes, directional coupler, MZI, ring resonator and others, using mainly analytical methods. For waveguide modes solutions, the supported methods are: Planar Slab (Maxwell), Shadow Region (Marcatili), Effective Index Method, Circle (Maxwell) and an Exact solution employing the Galerkin method. The Exact solution solves any type of waveguide cross-section and is a full-vector 3D analytical solution (matrix based).

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Directional couplers are currently solved using data obtained by Doctor Modes™ in combination with Supermodes theory. Both the parallel and the curved sections of the coupler can be considered and analyzed separately. 

Circuits are analyzed using steady-state or true time domain models and can include the dispersions and absorptions of the waveguide and couplers. 

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The software package also support simulations for large scale array of photonics integrated circuits via the optical interconnect module, Circuits King™. Components such as bus, optical couplers, resonators, light sources, light sensors, Tx|Rx DSPs and a global device that performs light processing via script, can be designed and integrated in the layout to form small and large networks required in many applications. Among the various applications are Deep learning (training) network, Optical programming (O-FPGA) and signal processing, beam shaping array, and WDM architecture. These can be found in AI systems, data centers and optical processing.

The affect of Thermo-Optical and Electro-Optical effects via electrodes on the bus or coupler units can be fully simulated as well. 

 

Major Advantages – why using Asteria© modules?   

• Instant simulations (mainly analytical solutions – Orders of magnitude faster and efficient than FDTD/FEM).

• Analysis Tool integration (optimization & sensitivity analysis).

• Electro-Optical operation and effects are build-in and dynamic. Most RF effects are supported (in Circuits King™).

• Data Analysis integration (built-in tools for data analysis).

• Easy, graphically and specially designed user interface – Minimal training needed.

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Main Features:

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• Analysis Tool can be used to examine and map properties of the structure with respect to changes in others.

 

• Effects such as Material Dispersion & Absorption, Temperature and Doping variations, can be viewed, simulated and analyzed (Silicon - SOI platform, Lithium Niobate Titanium platform and Silicon Oxide (Fiber Optic) platform).    New materials and their dispersions & absorptions can be added manually (via the Material Manager tool).

 

• Fitting Tool can be used in order to try various fits and obtain an explicit equation.

      In addition, an Algebraic Tool can perform basic operations, such as derivatives and integrals, over the fitted

      equation. Results can be plotted in the main graph. 

 

• Electro-Optical effects can be fully simulated:                                                                                                                                           1)  Doping specific region of the waveguide. This is equivalent to the presence of charged carriers in this

                 region due to applied voltage by a structure such as PN/PIN diode or a MOS capacitor.

            2)  Applied voltage over electrical electrode, which is common for example, in modulator based on

                 ring resonator or MZI.

            3)  Fluctuation of the applied voltage in time under low frequencies and high frequencies (RF).

            4)  Loss increase due to presence of charged carriers induced by applied voltage.

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• Thermo-Optical effects and Phase-Optical effects (Phase-Changing Material, PCM) can be fully simulated in a similar manner as the Electro-Optical effects do. 

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• Data Analysis tools can be used to identify regions of interest in 1D/2D and 3D graphs, in particular, when the graph contain many samples.                   

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• Couplers behavior as a function of the spectrum, temperature and applied voltage can be fully inspected.

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• Practical waveguide cross-sections, such as a trapezoid with lateral side profiles (Erfc, Gaussian), are supported.  

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• Filter can be applied on measurement data in order to deduce the circuit properties. 

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• Graphs can be easily manipulated and detailed (zoom, tags, basic analysis and more). 

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• Command Syntax may be used to make general calculations, plot and inspect new graphs, control the various modules, and analyze the data from the software's graphs.

 

• Graphs, data and device structure can be enlarged, edited and copied to clipboard or be saved to file (vectorize+editable) for quick attachment to articles, reports and documents.