Synopsys, Inc.
VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF DIFFERENT STRUCTURE PORTS IN SCHEMATICS OF PHOTONIC INTEGRATED CIRCUITS

Abstract:

In one aspect, a method for displaying incompatible ports at the schematic design stage comprises the following. A schematic of a photonic integrated circuit is accessed. The schematic comprises a plurality of optical components that have ports, and the optical components are connected at their ports. A processor determines the structures of the ports. Typically, the structure of a port is determined by the cross-sectional shape and the material(s) of the port. The schematic of the photonic integrated circuit is displayed, with different visual indicators for ports with different structures. For example, ports with different structures may be represented by symbols of different colors, different outlines, different fill patterns or other types of non-textual visual indicators.