Silicon Photonics Circuit Design: Methods, Tools and Challenges

TLDR: In this article, the state of this emerging photonic circuit design flow and its synergies with electronic design automation (EDA) is reviewed. And the similarities and differences between photonic and electronic design, and the challenges and opportunities that present themselves in the new photonic design landscape, such as variability analysis, photonic-electronic co-simulation and compact model definition.

Abstract: Silicon Photonics technology is rapidly maturing as a platform for larger-scale photonic circuits. As a result, the associated design methodologies are also evolving from componentoriented design to a more circuit-oriented design flow, that makes abstraction from the very detailed geometry and enables design on a larger scale. In this paper, we review the state of this emerging photonic circuit design flow and its synergies with electronic design automation (EDA). We cover the design flow from schematic capture, circuit simulation, layout and verification. We discuss the similarities and the differences between photonic and electronic design, and the challenges and opportunities that present themselves in the new photonic design landscape, such as variability analysis, photonic-electronic co-simulation and compact model definition. Silicon Photonics Circuit Design: Methods, Tools and