Dendermonde, Belgium – 15 April 2024
Luceda Photonics is proud to announce the launch of the first Test Design Kit (TDK) for the Luceda Photonics Design Platform. Test Design Kits enable photonic integrated circuit (PIC) designers to test their designs efficiently and cost-effectively after fabrication. This includes parametric templates, compatible with the processes of any foundry, where a set of layout rules is defined in alignment with the capabilities of specific test houses.
The concept of “design for test” plays a crucial role in standardizing the testing process for PICs. Essentially, it means that designers create their circuits while considering test requirements and restrictions right from the outset. However, implementing this concept is easier said than done. When combining requirements from foundries with those of testing partners, potential pitfalls can easily arise.
The Luceda Test Design Kits (TDKs) provide design rules and layout guidelines that allow designers to position the input and output ports of their circuits, both optical and electrical, in a way that is compatible with standard automated testing routines. This shift in mindset encourages designers to consider testing as an integral part of the design process, rather than an afterthought, and allows test houses to reduce engineering costs for the measurement setups and hence to speed up and lower the cost of the test campaigns.
“By using a TDK alongside a foundry PDK from the start of the design flow, designers can now easily create PIC designs that are naturally compatible with automated testing routines, eliminating the need for investing in custom and costly testing solutions,” said Chiara Alessandri, Product Marketing Manager at Luceda Photonics. “As a design software provider, we strongly believe it is our role to empower designers to create first-time-right designs that can be tested easily.”
Photonic design and test house VLC Photonics was the first one having such TDK implemented for their characterization capabilities.
“The possibility for any designer to easily load our test layout rules seamlessly into Luceda IPKISS, and to do it parametrically for more than 30 foundry PDKs, is a great step forward”, said Iñigo Artundo, CEO of the company. “With this, any PIC development can mitigate the risk and lower both time and cost when moving to characterization, after the fabrication is completed. This allows to reduce cycle times, crucial in any project or product development”.
The Luceda TDK includes templates to access the following testing services offered by VLC Photonics:
Fully automated wafer- and die/bar- level testing,
Optical probing with vertical couplers and/or edge couplers, from visible to telecom/datacom bands and mid-infrared wavelengths,
Opto-electronic probing for DC and/or RF ports, up to 110 GHz.
The Luceda TDK for VLC Photonics is now available for all Luceda customers. For more information and to access the TDK, click on the link below.
About Luceda Photonics
Luceda Photonics is a leading provider of photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design software and services. The Luceda Photonics Design Platform enables designers to design, simulate, and optimize photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and empowers photonic designers to quickly achieve their tape-out, getting their designs right the first time. For more information, visit www.lucedaphotonics.com.
About VLC Photonics
VLC Photonics, a Hitachi group company, is a design and test house offering photonic engineering services, operating in a pure-play and fabless way over all the main material platforms (e.g.: Si, SiN, PLC, InP, GaAs, TFNL), in partnership with an extensive network of +20 foundries. The company offers its photonic integration services for multiple markets like telecom/datacom, LIDAR, quantum, microwave photonics, optical computing, photonic sensing, optical instrumentation, biophotonics, etc. For more information visit https://www.vlcphotonics.com/.
Media Contacts
Luceda Photonics
Deren Baysal
deren.baysal@lucedaphotonics.com
VLC Photonics
Jhiovanna García
marketing@vlcphotonics.com