The demand for electronic-photonic co-simulation is prevalent across various optical communication scenarios, including system-level circuits such as coherent systems, data communication, and data center interconnects. It also extends to on-chip or heterogeneous integrated circuits such as LPO, CPO, and NPO. Electronic-photonic co-simulation has long been a challenging issue in the PDA /EPDA field. The simulation models involved in electronic-photonic circuits include compact models for photonic devices, S-parameters for optical waveguides, SPICE models for integrated circuits, IBIS models for I/O ports, and IBIS-AMI models for high-speed SERDES ports. The ability of simulators to support these models is key to solving electronic-photonic co-simulation challenges!
Currently, there are two primary solutions for electronic-photonic co-simulation. The first approach involves integrating optical and electrical software, with each performing its own simulation and exchanging data at a specific point in time. The second approach compiles photonic device models into Verilog-A or SPICE format for unified simulation within an electrical simulator. However, both solutions have drawbacks that hinder widespread adoption in research and development.
After nearly three years of iterative upgrades, pSim Plus has achieved a significant breakthrough just in time for the new year! In the latest version of pSim Plus, users can now build a complete electronic-photonic transceiver circuit. The pSim Plus simulation platform supports a wide range of simulation models, including DSP high-speed I/O ports (such as SERDES), DSP equalization algorithm modules, S-parameters, optical sources, modulators, single-mode/multi-mode optical fibers, photodetectors, TIAs, and other photonic devices. Additionally, the platform comprehensively accounts for the RLC parasitic effects of RDL (Redistribution Layers) and TSV (Through-Silicon Vias) in advanced packaging, enabling a more comprehensive and realistic simulation analysis. This allows for a full electronic-photonic circuit, unified simulation process!
pSim Plus adopts an innovative hybrid integrated simulation engine, which consolidates traditional segmented simulation workflows (separating optical and electrical simulations and then merging the results) into a single software platform. This enables efficient system circuit simulation and optimized simulation workflows. Users no longer need to switch between multiple platforms; they can complete the entire simulation process within a single environment, significantly improving design convenience and simulation efficiency. pSim Plus will gradually release trial versions after the Chinese New Year—stay tuned!
Furthermore, Latitude Design Systems is actively collaborating with leading optical and electrical chip and device manufacturers worldwide to develop simulation models based on test data, covering components such as lasers, TIAs, CDRs, and DSPs. By 2025, we aim to provide an extensive library of simulation models, covering a wide range of photonic device manufacturers. This will offer strong support for upstream and downstream collaborative development in photonic devices and chips, enabling chip-to-package module-to-system-level electronic-photonic co-simulation!
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