Silicon Photonics Workflow

The next generation of high-performance computing data centers in the AI era demands extremely fast data transmission at high bandwidth. Optical connectivity, built on silicon photonics and integrated with traditional electronic IC designs, is a crucial element for enabling these advancements. PeakView® provides a seamless workflow for the most demanding silicon photonics, from the design and optimization of advanced photonics layouts to the fullwave 3D EM simulations and equivalent circuit model generation. Traditional flows require multiple external tools to perform the design, EM extraction and RLCK netlist creation, but PeakView® satisfy all these needs within the same tool.

PeakView® EM Platform, the Ideal Solution for Silicon Photonics

EM Design of Silicon Photonics

    • PeakView® provides advanced PCircuits for photonic passive device design focusing on slow-wave transmission lines. Slow-wave transmission lines contributes to reducing the transmission line length while preserving the desired performance.
    • Furthermore, Pcircuits are python-based structures, which are fully customizable and flexible to realize the most creative and innovative design ideas. 
    • Other advanced design capabilities such as ComboCell, EM synthesis and parametric sweep are also available to achieve the best-performing devices. 

Accurate EM Simulation of Silicon Photonics

    • PeakView®’s latest 3DIC architecture enablement allows the integration of conventional electronic chips (EIC) with silicon photonic chips (PIC), enabling the analysis of critical EM isolation, crosstalk, and signal integrity for the EIC-on-PIC 3DIC structures.
    • TeraHz EM simulations is a key element in the silicon photonics that traditionally rely on physics tools, experience and expensive tests-based tuning. PeakView®’ 3D fullwave DC-TeraHz accuracy provides a reliable high-frequency perspective of the expected photonic circuits behavior.
    • PeakView®’s equivalent circuit RLCK model (PBM) is used to extend the photonic designer insight by delivering an accurate representation of the parasitic elements of photonic interconnects. Compact RLCK models facilitates SPICE transient simulations

EM Verification of Silicon Photonics

PeakView®’s Built-in Electromigration Checker

    • Electromigration is a phenomenon of material transport caused by a gradual movement of ions in a conductor due to momentum transfer between conducting electrons and diffusing metal atoms. It can lead to circuit failure through metal line resistance increase or open circuits in the extreme cases.
    • The PeakView® Electromigration checker represents a simple and quick solution for an initial verification, contributing to a more comprehensive design toolset. 
      • Simple and easy to use during design stage 
      • Instant checking and visualization
      • Checked results can be fixed immediately and re-verified

Photonics Transmission Line De-embedding in PeakView®

    • Typical Foundry Silicon Characterization has their limitations. Uncertainty exists in the de-embedded results and the suitable de-embedding method. Therefore, limited silicon data reference leads to uncertainty in EM design.
    • Peakview-based Rapid Silicon Characterization approach provides a fast turnaround based on fullwave EM simulations allowing users to de-embed their measurements and verify the reliability of the process technology information. 
    • PeakView ® has built-in de-embedding methods for transmission lines:
      • Cascade square root method: multiport de-embedding method, where two TLines with exact twice the length of each other are used (L2=2L1). 
      • Cascade arbitrary length method: This method, developed by Lorentz Solution, allows an arbitrary ration between the length of the TLines. 
    • PeakView de-embedding methods for transmission lines also supports the tapered behavior of the pad connections, delivering a comprehensive silicon characterization solution. 

References 

    • LD20729_3D Fullwave EM Synthesis Optimization and Sign-off for the New Silicon Photonics Time
    • LD22211_PeakView Pcircuits for Photonic SlowWave Transmission Lines
    • LD22613_PeakViews EM Design Platform for Large-Scale 3DIC Systems in the New AI Era 
    • LD22280_TSV RF/mmWave modeling in PDK design environment based on Peakview 3D EM simulation
    • LD21041_mmWave/Photonics Transmission Line de-embedding in Peakview

For Application Notes requests, please contact: support@lorentzsolution.com

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