Workshop

This workshop opens with an introductory tutorial on electromagnetic (EM) simulation and the underlying physics of guided light, motivating why understanding how EM fields behave in dielectric waveguide structures is essential to designing useful photonic devices. Building on this foundation, participants will use RSoft's EME mode solver and beam propagation method (BPM) tools to design a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) — one of the most fundamental building blocks in photonic circuits. Precise control over interference between two optical paths makes the MZI a ubiquitous component: key to making modulators, sensors, switches, and compiling into an active photonic circuit. The MZI is, in a sense, the ‘gateway device’ for understanding much of today's emerging photonic and quantum technology.

Session

Topic

Introduction to EM simulation

Fundamentals of electromagnetic simulation and the physics underlying guided light

Waveguide mode physics

Motivating why the physics of EM field confinement in dielectric waveguide structures is essential for designing functional photonic circuits

RSoft EME mode solver

Eigenmode expansion (EME) methods for solving mode profiles and predict coupling behaviour between waveguides

Beam propagation method (BPM)

Simulating mode propagation using RSoft BeamPROP

Why the MZI matters!

The MZI as a baseline building block for modulators, sensors, etc, motivating its role in photonic and quantum technologies

MZI design exercise

Hands-on design of a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) combining EME and BPM analysis

Learning outcomes

• How EM fields behave in dielectric waveguide structures, and why these fundamental principles are essential to design photonic circuits

• The workflow for waveguide mode modelling, using an EME mode solver and beam propagation method (BPM).

• Hands-on design of a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) based on target parameters.

• Why the MZI is a key building block of modulators, sensors, and other photonic systems.

This workshop bridges the gap between concepts/simulation and fabricating a photonic device in the real world, carrying the MZI design from Workshop 1 through to a fabrication-ready layout. The workshop focusses on circuit design in Luceda IPKISS, culminating in a multi-layer design file (e.g. waveguide, cladding, and metal layers) that the Sydney Nano Foundry can use to fabricate the MZI device. Select participants will get access to the University of Sydney's Sydney Nano Foundry cleanroom to observe the equipment and processes required for fabrication of integrated photonic circuits.

Session

Topic

Introduction

Overview of the photonic device design-to-fabrication workflow, from simulation to foundry-ready tape-out

IPKISS design demonstration

Building the MZI layout in Luceda IPKISS, moving forward from Workshop 1 RSoft design workshop

Fabrication-tolerant design

Managing practical considerations of the fabrication process: design rule checking (DRC) etc.

Multi-layer file generation

Assembling waveguide, cladding, and potentially metal layers into a foundry-ready design file for the MZI

Wrap-up

Recap and discussion of how simulation, design, and fabrication connect end-to-end

Foundry visit (only selected group of 8)

Tour inside Sydney Nano Foundry (SNF) cleanroom, see the advanced tools and processes used to fabricate integrated photonic circuits at Sydney University

Learning outcomes

Participants will gain exposure to:

• Fabrication-tolerant circuit design techniques, including process variation, minimum feature size, and design rule checking

• How to generate a multi-layer, foundry-ready design file from a photonic circuit layout

• How simulation, design, and fabrication connect end-to-end — from numerical simulations tools, layout design synthesis, all the way to a fabricated MZI device

• Fabrication of integrated photonic devices at the Sydney Nano Foundry.