Multiphysics Software for Designing Planar-Lightwave Photonic Processors

Advances in the development and manufacturing of photonic processors have reached a critical stage where their mass applications are becoming commercially viable. LNL Optenia utilized the FEMLAB multiphysics package from COMSOL to design inexpensive planar-lightwave photonic processors based on planar Echelle grating technology. One major challenge in the design and manufacture of devices with a large contrast in the refractive index of the constituent materials is that as they get smaller, it becomes more difficult to obtain the desired optical characteristics.