WILSONVILLE, Ore., September 19, 2014 – Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT), a leader in electronic design automation, today announced an integration with Lumerical’s INTERCONNECT to enable new silicon photonics design methodologies that leverage the Pyxis™ and Calibre® platforms.  With the INTERCONNECT integration, users are now able to perform optical circuit simulation directly from the Pyxis Schematic. 

With this integration, users can capture a photonic design and testbench, set up optical simulation parameters for transient and frequency analysis, perform simulation, and view results interactively from the Pyxis Schematic simulation cockpit.  This not only delivers a tremendous boost in productivity, but it also leverages the existing integration to high-capacity EZwave™ waveform viewer.  While traditionally used as a viewer for mixed-signal waveforms in the electrical time domain, the EZwave viewer, which includes a built-in waveform-based calculator, an eye diagram tool, and TCL scripting, is also ideal for processing optical simulation results. 

Complementing the Pyxis Schematic in the Pyxis custom IC design platform is Pyxis Implement, a tool for layout design.  Well renowned for its all angle editing capabilities, Pyxis Implement with schematic-driven layout enables users to quickly place and assemble photonic PCells using connectivity-driven waveguide routing with radial and adiabatic bends, as well as S-bend support.  To complete this full-flow silicon photonics design methodology, Calibre tools perform DRC, LVS, lithography simulation, and smart-fill, ensuring photonic components meet the designed intent through the manufacturing process.

Lumerical INTERCONNECT for Optical Circuit Simulation

Optical circuit simulation within the Pyxis platform design cockpit is performed by Lumerical’s INTERCONNECT photonic integrated circuit design and simulation tool.  Netlist import and export features added to INTERCONNECT as part of the integration project enable design capture, simulation set up and execution within the Pyxis platform cockpit. Time domain and frequency domain simulations are run using the INTERCONNECT simulators and results are delivered for analysis to the EzWave viewer.  Key operating parameters of the photonic components for accurate simulation are defined in the PDK-driven design flow as INTERCONNECT compact models. The compact models can be derived from foundry specific or measured data, improving design accuracy and eliminating device revisions. 

“The integration of INTERCONNECT with Pyxis delivers a seamless environment for scalable photonic integrated circuit design, simulation and analysis,” said Dr. James Pond, CTO of Lumerical Solutions.  “Lumerical’s photonic simulation software has provided designers and researchers with the tools for innovative component design for over 10 years. Through our partnership with Mentor, we can deliver a complete design ecosystem that is the foundation for growth in integrated photonics across a wide array of applications.”

PDK Development

Mentor and Lumerical have been developing Process Design Kits (PDKs) enabling a silicon photonics design flow with OpSIS and CMC / SiEPIC. Mentor and Lumerical are also collaborating with A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME), a technology leader in silicon photonics, to develop next generation PDK for their well established and widely adopted technology platform.

“Over the last three years, we’ve adopted Mentor and Lumerical tools to develop PDK- driven silicon photonics methodologies for our programs,” said Professor Lukas Chrostowski, SiEPIC Program Director.  “Lumerical provides excellent optical simulation tools, Mentor’s Calibre provides best in class verification and Mentor’s Pyxis provides the right framework for silicon photonics design.  Our next workshop scheduled for October 24-28 includes a Pyxis PDK and fabrication with IME.”

At the ECOC Exhibition 2014, the largest European optical communications event, Mentor and Lumerical are conducting a seminar to demonstrate the new integration.

About Lumerical

Since its inception in 2003, Lumerical has pioneered breakthrough simulation technologies that help bring new photonic product concepts to life. By empowering research and product development professionals with high performance photonic design software that leverages recent advances in computing technology, Lumerical helps optical designers tackle challenging design goals and meet strict deadlines. Lumerical’s design software solutions have been licensed in more than 40 countries by global technology leaders like Samsung, STMicroelectronics, Huawei, Agilent, Olympus, and Philips, and prominent research institutions including Caltech, Harvard, Max Planck Institute, MIT, NIST, University of Tokyo and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Discover how Lumerical can help you meet your own design objectives by visiting us online at http://www.lumerical.com.

About A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME)

The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a research institute of the Science and Engineering Research Council of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Positioned to bridge the R&D between academia and industry, A*STAR IME’s mission is to add value to Singapore’s semiconductor industry by developing strategic competencies, innovative technologies and intellectual property; enabling enterprises to be technologically competitive; and cultivating a technology talent pool to inject new knowledge to the industry. Its key research areas are in integrated circuits design, advanced packaging, bioelectronics and medical devices, MEMS, nanoelectronics and photonics. For more information on A*STAR IME, please visit www.ime.a-star.edu.sg.

Mentor Graphics and Calibre are registered trademarks and Pyxis and EZwave are trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners