Ultra High Speed Modulators
III-V, TFLN, and Silicon Modulators
The wide range of Photon Design tools offer a complete toolkit for those designing a diversity of modulators using market leading tools FIMMWAVE, PICWave, and Harold:
Component + Layout Simulations
Photon Design’s unique EME application ‘Multi Topology FIMMPROP’ performs full 3D optical simulations of MZMs including the effects of applied voltage; simulated on a standard desktop in seconds.
The full device can be exported directly to layout through GDS-II.
Use MT-FIMMPROP to simulate MMIs, Directional Couplers, Bends, EO response, and connect them together in a layout environment.
Examples:
Tools:
MT-FIMMPROPExpanding on above, this example arranges two TFLN modulators in quadrature including thermo-optic phase shifter
Examples:
Tools:
MT-FIMMPROP
Traveling Wave Electrode - Time Domain Simulations
Circuit simulator PICWave can combine rigorously simulated optical components, electro optic models, and thorough gain spectra simulations for time evolving simulations of high speed modulators.
PICWave’s advanced electrical model includes a traveling wave electrode model, simulating the time taken for electrical pulses to travel along a contact. This can be calibrated with PICWave’s in-built mode solvers that it shares from FIMMWAVE, using the calculated mode’s group index to inform characteristic impedance of microstrip contacts.
Use PICWave for time evolving simulations of full MZM including models for gain from Harold, photonic componants from FIMMPROP, and refractive index changes under applied voltage.
Tools:
PICWaveUse FIMMWAVE complex mode solvers (available in PICWave) to simulate group index of modes around metalic contacts, calibrating traveling wave electrode model
Examples:
Tools:
FIMMWAVE
Silicon Modulators
Simulate the carrier distribution response to an applied voltage (depletion, accumulation, and injection) and the impact on mode effective index (plasma effect) + capacitance using leading semiconductor and laser simulator Harold.
Use Harold to simulate the plasma effect over a waveguide's cross section. Calculate the mode effective index change due to an applied voltage over electrical contacts.
Examples:
Tools:
Harold
Electro-Absorption and Electro-Refractive Modulators
Apply reverse bias voltage to epitaxy stacks and simulate refractive index spectra and absorption spectra with Harold’s bespoke QCSE Quantum-Confined Stark Effect) model. This provides full characterisation of how light is modulated with EAM/ ERM.
Perform time evolving simulations with propagation of 2D optical modes by exporting Harold’s 1D results to advanced circuit simulator PICWave.
Simulation of AlGaAs and SiGe electro-absorption modulators relying on QCSE with Harold EAM.
