Wave Photonics launches PDK Management Platform with CORNERSTONE the first user

The platform is said to reduce repetitive work involved in mapping PDKs to multiple EDA tools, allowing teams to focus on higher-value work. PIC designers can plug PDKs into the EDA tool of their choice with no extra setup required, the company tells us.

Launched today with the first foundry adopter, CORNERSTONE, the platform integrates PDKs into all major EDA tools with no manual setup required, Wave says. Key features include:-

• Built in compatibility with Wave Photonics’ EDA partners Luceda Photonics (IPKISS), Cadence (Virtuoso), Siemens (L-Edit Photonics), and the open-source GDSFactory, with functionality for Synopsys (OptoCompiler) and Latitude Design Systems (PIC Studio) coming soon

• Automated generation of S-parameters that work out-of-the-box with EDA/circuit simulation tools

• IP management through built-in blackboxing feature and NDA tracking, enabling controlled access and protecting the confidentiality of process data

• Automated documentation and version control that provides designers with up-to-date documentation and helps avoid PDK mix- ups and accidental cross-use of conflicting PDKs.

Foundries can upload their PDKs directly to the platform. The platform then automatically generates S parameters (which can use Wave Photonics’ fabrication models for improved accuracy), produces documentation, and packages the PDK for integration into EDA tools. Each packaged PDK is hosted on the platform with its metadata, enabling version tracking.

Fine-grained access controls and NDA tracking features allow foundries to manage distribution and maintain confidentiality of the process data. Once PDK access is granted, designers can download the PDK and design immediately using their preferred EDA tool.

CORNERSTONE, a silicon photonics rapid prototyping foundry, is using the plaform to manage and distribute its PDKs efficiently across a global base of designers.

Dr. Emre Kaplan, PDK Manager at CORNERSTONE, said: “We’re excited to collaborate with Wave Photonics to bring our PDKs to a wider range of PIC design platforms. Together, we’re building a more connected ecosystem that simplifies access, strengthens PDK management, and accelerates the development of next-generation photonic devices."

James Lee, Wave Photonics CEO, said: “For designers, there is a lot of repetitive work required to access, set up, and get S-Parameters for a PDK, and maintaining and updating the PDK for different tools can be a burden for fabs.

“With our EDA partners, we’d already built a solution to this for our PDKs and decided to offer this as a service to foundries so they can improve the designer experience and focus their efforts on high-value work and customer support."

Wave Photonics, which is shortlisted in the 35th Anniversary Business Weekly Awards, develops cutting-edge design technology to drive the advancement and mass adoption of integrated photonics. The company uses a fabrication-aware computational model to facilitate the rapid development of PIC designs.

It empowers engineers to design their chips for a wide range of wavelengths and many challenging applications, including telecom/datacom, space-comm, sensing, quantum, optical computing, plus diagnostic and healthcare sensing.