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Photonic Integrated Circuits – A High-Level Overview
How does a PIC differ from an Integrated Circuit (IC)?
PICS and ICs share the same structure, but ICs use wire to carry electronic signals and PICs use optics to
transfer, sense, process, and transmit data. Most communications data is channeled through photons, while
the logic is performed by electrons.
Why Consider PICs?
Companies in several industries have added or are considering adding PIC to their manufacturing processes
to achieve significant benefits. For example:
• Data Communications – PICs can increase the bandwidth and data transfer speeds and reduce
energy consumption in data centers; using light cuts down on the thermal implications of the circuits,
helping to keep electrical servers cool
• Healthcare – Photonic biosensors can pick up on small changes of refractive index that arise when a
target molecule interacts with the coating on the sensor. Healthcare organizations use a miniaturized
version of an interferometer as a photonic system on the chip, so they can have a high speed of
analysis of the molecule
• Transportation – The challenge of bringing LIDAR to the market has been its high cost and
miniaturizing the system. With PICs, large cooling systems aren't necessary, so manufacturers are
levering them to make electric cars more efficient and lighter
• Defense and Aerospace – Monitoring systems can be smaller, faster, and more efficient with PICs
State-of-the-Art Simulation Solution
Because PICs are so small, it is incredibly difficult to run tests to analyze and optimize them. With simulation
software, all testing, iterating, and demonstrating can be done in a virtual environment, leading to lower yield
rates, faster time-to-market, and greater cost efficiency.
At Rand Simulation, we recommend Ansys Lumerical photonics simulation and design software. Ansys, a
leader in simulation software, teamed with Cadence to jointly develop a state-of-the-art electronics photonics
design automation workflow.
