Ansys Optics

Tech Tip Tuesdays with Ansys Optics: RGB Augmented Reality Optical System Modern wearable Augmented Reality (AR) technology is typically designed as a glasses or goggles type form-factor display device which does not disrupt the wearer’s nominal view of the environment, allowing simultaneous viewing of the real world and projected ‘hologram’ images. This article explores optical design and analysis techniques within the Ansys Optics solutions which are essential for designing and validating RGB AR systems. Key features covered include Optical Design Exchange (.odx) for data handling between Zemax OpticStudio and Speos, Live Preview, Virtual Lighting Controller, Virtual Lighting Animation, and GPU acceleration. Section 1: Integrated RGB Display System Overview The integrated optomechanical AR display system consists of a color microdisplay positioned at the image plane of a projection lens (designed in Zemax OpticStudio) whose pupil is co-located with the RGB waveguide in-coupler grating surface. The waveguide comprises three high-index waveguides, each with diffraction gratings whose efficiencies are tuned for each RGB color channel (although there is leakage/crosstalk in the coupling system). Each waveguide employs three linear gratings: an in-coupler near the projection lens pupil, a pupil expander near the brow, and an out-coupler in front of the eye. Section 2: Lens Data Transfer via Optical Design Exchange (ODX) Because our system integration and analysis will be performed in Ansys Speos, the lens design needs to be imported from Zemax OpticStudio. This can be performed via CAD transfer, but ensuring accurate representation of optical properties can be cumbersome and time consuming. The Optical Design Exchange (ODX) file transfer tools solve this problem. An .odx file can be generated from within Zemax with a single click, exporting the lens geometries as well as a full description of their optical properties. Importing this file into Speos, the lens, stop aperture, and image plane geometry, as well as the lens materials and coatings are automatically defined and applied appropriately to the elements/surfaces. Section 3: Advanced Analysis Techniques In AR devices intended for outdoor use, validation of display brightness is critical. In sunny conditions, solar illuminance can reach 100klux or more; if the display brightness and/or system efficiency is insufficient, the displayed image will become washed out by the ambient light. The Virtual Lighting Controller and Virtual Lighting Animation tools in Speos can be utilized to efficiently analyze display visibility across different ambient conditions. Furthermore, the Human Vision Lab can be used to automatically calibrate the displayed image luminance to match human eye adaptation based on the environmental brightness. Read the full article here: https://ansys.me/4fUTW6b #ARVR #RGBWaveGuide

Ansys Optics Foundational Friday: What is a Metalens? Metalenses are redefining the future of optics, enabling groundbreaking advancements in miniaturization and performance. By leveraging nanoscale "meta-atom" patterns on dielectric surfaces, metalenses manipulate light in ways that replace bulky traditional components. This innovation allows complex imaging and illumination devices to become lighter, smaller, and more efficient — whether it's a micron-scale lens for endoscopes or a centimeter-scale lens for AR headsets and smartphones. Why Metalenses Matter A single metalens can perform the functions of multiple traditional optical components, significantly reducing the size and weight of optical systems. Beyond light focusing, they enable advanced functionalities like polarization manipulation, paving the way for innovations in 3D sensing, AR/VR, medical imaging, and autonomous vehicles. Challenges in Design and Manufacturing Despite their potential, metalens design and manufacturing come with unique challenges. Achieving precise phase manipulation and integrating metalenses into full systems requires multiscale, multiphysics simulation tools. Manufacturing these intricate patterns at scale is equally demanding, with methods like e-beam lithography and nanoimprint lithography driving progress. Simulation plays a critical role, enabling designers to optimize, validate, and integrate metalenses seamlessly into complex optical systems. Tools like Ansys Lumerical FDTD? advanced 3D electromagnetic FDTD simulation software, and Ansys Zemax OpticStudio? optical system design and analysis software empower designers to model the behavior of metalenses at both the meta-atom and system levels, ensuring they meet performance and manufacturability requirements. Metalenses and the Future of Miniaturization As optical systems continue to shrink, metalenses offer a path to unprecedented levels of miniaturization without compromising functionality. In the future, process design kits (PDKs) could revolutionize metalens design by providing verified meta-atom libraries, much like in the semiconductor industry, accelerating development and fostering collaboration across the optical ecosystem. Simulation will remain the key to unlocking this technology's full potential, adapting to evolving manufacturing methods and enabling robust, scalable designs. What excites you most about miniaturized optics and metalens technology? Could it be the potential for ultra-thin AR glasses, compact medical devices, or something else? Let us know in the comments! Watch this webinar to learn more about this exciting technology: https://ansys.me/40IVJXQ #Simulation #Miniaturization #Metalenses #OpticalDesign #Innovation

Tech Tip Tuesdays with Ansys Optics: Signal Integrity Analysis in a Co-packaged Optics System using Ansys RaptorX?, Cadence Spectre and Ansys Lumerical INTERCONNECT? Interop Co-packaged optics (CPO) systems are transforming data communication by combining photonics and electronics within a single package, delivering benefits like lower latency and reduced power consumption. However, these densely integrated setups make signal integrity analysis essential for ensuring high-speed performance. Here is a guide to signal integrity analysis for CPO systems, featuring Ansys Lumerical INTERCONNECT, Ansys RaptorX, and Cadence Spectre: 1?? Initial Setup: Start by extracting the simulation package, configuring the Electronic-Photonics Design Automation (EPDA) environment, and integrating Ansys RaptorX with the Cadence Virtuoso environment to streamline the simulation workflow. 2?? RF Interconnect Modeling: Use RaptorX to perform electromagnetic (EM) modeling of the RF interconnects and connectors, which are critical to signal transmission. Extract the S-parameters, which will characterize the RF interconnects’ effects on signal integrity. 3?? Schematic Update: Incorporate the extracted S-parameters into the schematic design, updating the photonic modulator and driver circuitry to reflect the impact of the RF interconnects. This helps in accurately simulating real-world performance factors. 4?? Electro-Optical Co-Simulation: Run the co-simulation with Spectre-INTERCONNECT interop, analyzing the performance of the CPO system under real conditions. Compare results with and without RF interconnect effects to understand how these components influence signal integrity in the final design. Following these steps ensures a robust signal integrity analysis for CPO systems, giving engineers valuable insights to optimize high-speed, low-latency designs. Read more about this workflow here: https://ansys.me/3O31OXk Want to learn about more other Ansys workflow solutions for Co-Packaged Optics? Join our next webinar: Thermal and Signal Integrity Analysis of Multi-Die Packages for CPO November 14, 2024 / Session One: 9:00 am EST / Session Two: 2:00 pm EST In this webinar we will demonstrate a highly efficient, accurate, chip-centric, system-aware thermal simulation workflow for multi-die packages using Ansys Ansys RedHawk-SC Electrothermal? and Ansys Icepak?. We'll show a comprehensive electro-optical simulation workflow with Ansys HFSS?, Ansys Electronics Desktop (AEDT)?, and Lumerical INTERCONNECT to capture packaging effects on the signal integrity of systems within a multi-die package. Register Now: https://ansys.me/3UO8Ym2 #Ansys #CoPackagedOptics #Photonics #SignalIntegrity #HighSpeed

Webinar Alert: Thermal and Signal Integrity Analysis of Multi-Die Packages for Co-Packaged Optics (CPO)! Join us on November 14 as we dive into a cutting-edge, chip-centric, system-aware workflow to tackle the thermal and signal integrity challenges of multi-die CPO packages! Why attend? Co-packaged optics (CPO) is transforming data centers and HPC systems, enabling low-power, low-latency, high-bandwidth optical links. However, with greater performance comes design complexity—especially in managing heat and ensuring signal integrity within densely packed multi-die stacks. Our experts will demonstrate how Ansys RedHawk SC ET and Ansys Icepak deliver efficient, accurate thermal simulations tailored to the unique demands of 3DIC packages. Additionally, see how Ansys HFSS, Ansys AEDT, and Ansys Lumerical INTERCONNECT integrate to capture packaging effects, optimizing signal integrity across electrical and photonic die connections. Key Learning Outcomes: ?? Uncover the thermal integrity challenges in CPO design. ?? Learn how Ansys’s multiphysics tools simplify complex packaging for multi-die systems. ?? See how HFSS enhances interconnect design in multi-die packaging. ?? Explore how AEDT and Lumerical INTERCONNECT enable EOE link simulations. ?? Real-world cases demonstrating Ansys’s impact on co-packaged optics. Don’t miss this chance to advance your CPO design insights with industry-leading simulation workflows! Register today. https://ansys.me/4hRX84D #CPO #DataCenters #Photonics #ThermalIntegrity #SignalIntegrity

Tech Tip Tuesdays with Ansys Optics: Ansys Speos? Material Library 2024 R2 The Speos Material Library provides thousands of industrial references for bulk properties, coatings, diffusers, and more. This extensive catalog is readily accessible to Ansys customers, offering a robust starting point for any optical design. By downloading the catalog and importing it into Ansys Speos CAD integrated optical and lighting simulation software, designers have continuous access to these high-quality references, ensuring consistency and accuracy in their simulations. Speos Library is available for download to any Ansys customer from the following path: Customer Portal > Download > Current Release > Add-on > Optical. There, you’ll find thousands of industrial references for bulk properties, volume scattering, coatings, absorbers, diffusers and more, as well as generic data to help you kickstart any design. Download the catalog, find references with your web browser, or import the catalog you need into Speos software to keep it available any time. In this video we cover every step to grant you access to the full Speos material database directly from your Speos interface: 1?? Download the Speos Add-On Library from your customer access on the Ansys portal 2?? Find the .sml (Speos Material Library) files in the downloaded folder 3?? Drag and drop the .sml into the Speos window. These will be automatically added to your local Speos libraries 4?? Open the Library tab from Speos Ribbon and browse the list of your imported catalogs to retrieve them. 5?? You can either drag and drop the materials or material folders you need into your project to locally host them, or apply material directly from the library by selecting the geometries to apply on and right clicking the material to apply Now that you are familiar with Speos Material Libraries, why not creating one of your own? From your Speos materials in your project tree, right click a selection of materials and export a .sml file. This way you can retrieve a list of properties from a project into another one and share your favorite optical properties with your colleagues with ease. Want to learn more about the Speos Library and Material Properties? Download our White Paper on this topic: Achieve Optical Precision with Superior Material Property Management https://ansys.me/3YsXohq And then request a free trial of Ansys Speos! https://ansys.me/48DyUXB #SpeosMaterialLibrary #2024R2 #MaterialProperties #Optics

Elevate Your Optical Designs with Precision and Power! In the world of optical design, managing detailed optical properties is paramount. From augmented reality to automotive lighting, the stakes are high for accuracy, efficiency, and innovation. Leveraging the right tools makes all the difference. Why Material Management Matters: ? Complex Properties: Optical materials often have wavelength-dependent attributes like refractive index, dispersion, and scattering. Handling these effectively is challenging but crucial for high-fidelity simulations. ? Streamlined Workflows: Software automates calculations, optimizes design parameters, and simplifies complex layer interactions, enhancing efficiency and speed. ? Consistency & Collaboration: Standardized databases and traceable data ensure your team works from the same foundation, supporting reproducibility and precision across projects. Ansys Speos: Precision in Optical Simulation Ansys Speos? software meets industry demands with its extensive Speos Library, custom material creation tools, and partnerships with leaders like opsira GmbH for precise material measurements. Whether through preloaded material references or custom modeling with Ansys Lumerical?, Speos enables optical designers to push the boundaries of innovation with confidence. Discover how Ansys Speos can transform your approach to material management—read our latest white paper for an in-depth look at how precise optical property management drives innovation in optical design. https://ansys.me/3C98ukb #OpticalDesign #AnsysSpeos #SimulationSoftware #Innovation #ospira

Tech Tip Tuesdays with Ansys Optics: GPU Acceleration for Grating Coupler Optimizations in the Cloud with Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure This article will demonstrate how Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure can be used to leverage GPU assets on the cloud via virtual desktop. #GPU acceleration for Lumerical FDTD enables us to reduce our time to results from over an hour with a local #CPU to a few minutes. This enhanced efficiency allows you to meet deadlines, optimize over larger parameter spaces or run more accurate models. The Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method is a state-of-the-art method for solving Maxwell's equations in complex geometries. However, a fine mesh is often required for the highest accuracy results and this often results in long, or even unpractical simulation runtimes. In this article, we show how GPU acceleration can be used to speed up the computer aided design and optimization process. Although, GPU cards are expensive to buy directly, and it can take a long time to see returns on these deprecating assets without constant usage, Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure is a service that allows users to rent a variety of GPU cards via a simple remote connection. As a result, it becomes possible for users to perform computationally demanding simulations without investing into their own GPU cards. The choice of hardware can also be tailored case by case for each application, in terms of the nature of the GPU card, number of CPU core, and memory size. Here are the steps: Step 1: Getting on Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure and setting up GPU acceleration In the first section we introduce Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure and provide a guide for setting up a project space with the desired hardware, and with the desired GPU hardware and Lumerical Application installed. While this guide assumes Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure, the majority of the steps are also applicable to Ansys Gateway powered by AWS. Step 2: Comparison between CPU and GPU – Simulation time and Accuracy In the second step, we demonstrate with a practical example how to configure and run a simulation with GPU acceleration. We will provide a comparison for the running time of simulation and optimization between CPU and GPU and compare the accuracy of the results. In this article, the main application of focus is the GPU acceleration, the simulations were run with the Nvidia Tesla V100 GPU card (instance Standard_NC6s_v3). Read the full article to learn more. https://ansys.me/3Uty21P #LumericalFDTD #AnsysAccess #MicrosoftAzure #NVIDIA

Tech Tip Tuesdays with Ansys Optics: Thin Film Lithium Niobate Electro-Optic Phase Modulator Optical transceivers convert electrical signals into the optical domain. All computation begins and ends electronically, but by translating from the electrical to optical domain we open up more channels, with greater bandwidth, that can be passed long distances with significantly less attenuation. These devices play an essential role for long haul segments of the internet and are increasingly moving upstream in the network as traffic and latency requirements grow. It is helpful to think of the optical transceiver and its complementary device the photodetector as the on and off ramps to the superhighways of the internet. These devices typically use phase modulators in a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer configuration with the carrier wave split into two arms and recombined at the output. Changing the phase of light in the arms in an unbalanced way, via electrical signals, results in constructive or destructive interference at the output. MZIs often serve as very sensitive optical instruments, but in this capacity the phase of the light is intentionally modulated and they are referred to as Mach-Zehnder Modulators (MZM) in this capacity. Several material platforms and physical effects have been used to achieve this functionality. In this example we focus on Pockel's effect in LN. Most physical mechanisms for phase modulation are quite weak resulting in very large devices. Alternatively, a number of exotic materials that are lossy and/or challenging to integrate with other optical and electronic components. LN is transparent over a large bandwidth and has large anisotropies, allowing for low loss and high modulation efficiencies. Conventional bulk-LN has been used widely; however, traditional fabrication methods did not allow for high index contrast waveguides. Recent developments in fabrication techniques have made the thin-film LNOI platform an excellent candidate for ultracompact and high-performance integrated photonic components. In this article we demonstrate how to simulate the electro-optic modulation in LNOI using our Finite Element IDE. The simulations performed as part of this work consist of two main stages: i. Electrical and ii. Optical. Here are the Steps: Step 1: Electrical Simulation In Step 1, we use the CHARGE solver to simulate the electric field distribution in the LN rib waveguide resulting from applied voltage bias. Step 2: Optical Simulation From the index perturbation calculations performed in Step 1 a nk material simulation object is created and apply to the LN waveguide structure. Then the FEEM solver is used to calculate the modes of the waveguide at a wavelength of 1.55 um. Read the full article here: https://ansys.me/3NCXq1f Request a free trial: https://ansys.me/3A8truQ #PhaseModulator #ElectroOpticModulation

?? Celebrating the International Day of Photonics 2024: Illuminating Our World and Beyond ?? Photonics, the science of light, drives some of the most transformative innovations of our time. From powering global connectivity with fiber optics to enabling non-invasive healthcare solutions, photonics surrounds us in everyday life—often without us even realizing it. On this International Day of Photonics 2024, we celebrate the profound ways photonics shapes our world, from revolutionizing communications and healthcare to advancing renewable energy. We also recognize the pivotal role Ansys simulation plays in accelerating photonics innovations, helping to bring cutting-edge technologies to life. Key Impacts of Photonics: Global Connectivity: Fiber optic networks fuel fast and reliable digital communication worldwide. Healthcare Innovations: Non-invasive laser surgeries and advanced imaging are made possible by photonics. Sustainable Energy: Photovoltaics turn sunlight into electricity, advancing global sustainability. Miniaturized Optical Systems: From compact AR glasses to metalenses, photonics drives device miniaturization. Emerging Technologies Shaping the Future: Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs): Revolutionizing data transmission with light-based signals, delivering unprecedented speed, bandwidth, and energy efficiency. Co-Packaged Optics (CPO): Combining optical and electronic components for faster, more efficient data transfer, essential for data centers and HPC. ?? Ansys Lumerical is at the heart of these advancements, providing industry-leading simulation tools to design, optimize, and validate photonic systems. From PICs to CPO and miniaturized optical devices, Ansys Optics empowers engineers to bring innovation to market faster and more efficiently. Let’s celebrate the incredible power of light and the future it illuminates! ?? Learn more about how Ansys Optics is transforming the future of photonics. https://ansys.me/40vvXX5 #PhotonicsDay2024 #Photonics #Optics #CoPackageOptics #PhotonicIntegratedCircuits #SustainableTech

We're excited to announce that our very own Sanjay Gangadhara will be speaking at the Optica Photonic-Enabled Cloud Computing (PECC) Industry Summit – the premier annual event for leaders in data center technologies! Sanjay will be presenting during the Integrated Photonic Manufacturing Solutions and Foundries session. This session will explore advancements in photonics manufacturing and how foundries are driving the production of photonic components and integrated circuits for optical communication. Discover the latest directions, standards, and implementations for designing and manufacturing PICs! #OpticaSummit #Photonics #DataCenterTech #PICs #OpticalCommunication