RSoft

Multi-Physics Utility
v2015.06

User Guide

Synopsys, Inc., Optical Solutions Group ● 400 Executive Blvd, Ste. 100 ● Ossining, NY 10562, USA
Phone: 1.914.488.6260 ● Web: optics.synopsys.com ● E-mail: [email protected]
 Copyright Notice and Proprietary Information
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information that is the property of Synopsys, Inc. The software and documentation are furnished under a license agreement and
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Contents

Preface 1
Foreword .................................................................................................. 1
How to Read This Manual ........................................................................ 1

1 Background 5
1.A. Overview ........................................................................................... 5
1.B. Electro-Optic Effect ........................................................................... 5
1.C. Thermo-Optic Effect .......................................................................... 6
1.D. Stress-Optic Effect ............................................................................ 7
1.E. Carrier Effect ..................................................................................... 8
1.F. References ...................................................................................... 10

2 Using The MP-Utility 11

2.A. Creating Materials ........................................................................... 11
2.B. Creating Electrodes/Heaters ........................................................... 11
2.C. Starting the Multi-Physics Utility ...................................................... 13
2.C.1. Setting Utility Options ....................................................... 13
2.C.2. Understanding Output ...................................................... 19

3 Tutorials 21
Tutorial 1: Simple Electro-Optical Example............................................. 21
Structure Overview ..................................................................... 22
Using the Electrodes ................................................................... 23
Areas for Further Exploration ...................................................... 24
Tutorial 2: Mach-Zhender Electro-Optical Modulator .............................. 25
Structure Overview ..................................................................... 25
Testing the Electrodes ................................................................ 26

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  iii

 Performing a Simulation .............................................................. 27
Areas for Further Exploration ...................................................... 28
Tutorial 3: Thermo-Optic Example .......................................................... 29
Structure Overview ..................................................................... 29
Using the Heater ......................................................................... 30
Performing a Simulation .............................................................. 31
Areas for Further Exploration ...................................................... 31
Tutorial 4: Simple Stress-Optic Example ................................................ 33
Structure Overview ..................................................................... 33
Viewing Effect of Stress on the Refractive Index ......................... 34
Areas for Further Exploration ...................................................... 35
Tutorial 5: Stress Effects on Birefringence .............................................. 36
Structure Overview ..................................................................... 36
Computing Stress and Viewing Index Perturbation ..................... 37
Studying Birefringence ................................................................ 37
Areas for Further Exploration ...................................................... 40
Tutorial 6: Carrier Effects in an SOI Waveguide ..................................... 41
Structure Overview ..................................................................... 41
Setting the Multi-Physics Utility Parameters ................................ 42
Performing a Simulation .............................................................. 43
Tutorial 7: Carrier Effects in a Mach-Zehnder Modulator (Validation
Example) ................................................................................................ 45
Structure Overview ..................................................................... 45
Setting the Multi-Physics Utility Parameters ................................ 47
Performing a Simulation .............................................................. 49
Performing a Scan over Voltage ................................................. 51
Conclusion .................................................................................. 55
References ................................................................................. 56
Tutorial 8: Electro-Absorption Modulator (EAM)...................................... 57
Structure Overview ..................................................................... 57
Setting the Multi-Physics Utility Parameters ................................ 59
Running the Utility ....................................................................... 61
Performing a Simulation .............................................................. 62
Performing a Scan over Voltage ................................................. 63

Appendix A Tips and Traps 65

A.A. Common Multi-Physics mistakes .................................................... 65
A.B. Some Good Multi-Physics habits to learn ....................................... 65

Appendix B Release Notes 67

Index 69

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  iv

Preface

Foreword
The Multi-Physics Utility allows users to include several physical effects in an RSoft optical
simulation. Effects include the Electro-Optic effect, the Thermo-Optic effect, the Stress-Optic
Effect, and Carrier Effects.

How to Read This Manual

While this manual can (and should!) be used as a reference manual, it is recommended that you
read the RSoft CAD and relevant simulation tool manuals in their entirety to get a firm
foundation from which to interpret the rest of the documentation.
If you are a new user, please reject the notion that you can simply turn to a section of interest. It
can be hard to resist this urge, but doing so will reward you with better usage habits, a fuller
understanding of how the software works, and will help you from suffering from common usage
problems.

Where Is The Documentation For…

The documentation for the RSoft Photonics Suite is divided into several manuals. The manuals
are structured using a simple rule:

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  1

Anything defining geometry and/or material parameters is in the CAD manual. Anything else is
in an appropriate simulation manual.

Using this rule, almost any topic can be found. As with any rule, there are a few exceptions. The
major exceptions are:
 Installation
The installation procedure for the RSoft Photonics Suite, including the CAD and all
simulation modules, is covered in the RSoft Installation Guide.
 Non-Uniform Grids
Non-uniform grids can be used by BeamPROP, FullWAVE, and FemSIM and are
documented in Chapter 9 of the CAD manual.
 Parameter Scanning/Scripting/Batch Operation
These topics are very similar, and are shared by all the simulation modules. They are
discussed in Chapter 10 of the CAD manual.
 Computing the Index Profile
Computing/Displaying the index profile is discussed in Section 3.G of the CAD manual.
 Pathways
Pathways define the location of pathway monitors (used by BeamPROP and FemSIM) and
the location and geometry of launch, or initial fields, in BeamPROP, FullWAVE, and
ModePROP. They are documented in Section 6.G of the CAD manual.
 Command Line Utilities
The RSoft Photonics CAD Suite ships with several command line utilities that perform a
variety of tasks. These utilities are documented in Appendix E of the CAD manual.
 RSoft Expressions
Virtually any numeric field in any RSoft product can accept an analytical expression
involving pre-defined and user-defined variables. The form of these expressions, including
valid arithmetic operators and functions can be found in Appendix C of the CAD manual.
Anytime this rule is violated, a note will direct the reader to the proper section in the proper
manual.

Where are these manuals located?

All documentation is placed on your computer during the program installation. Online versions
can be accessed through the RSoft CAD via the Help menu item, or the two help buttons on the
right of the top toolbar. The actual files can be found in the subdirectory help in the installation

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  2

directory. Additionally, PDF versions can be found in the subdirectory docs. These files require
the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be obtained from Adobe (www.acrobat.com) at no charge.

Typographical Conventions
A number of typeface and layout conventions are followed in this manual.
 The names of fields and controls in the GUI dialogs are written in boldface.
 The values of pull-down menus and radio button controls are written in italics.
 File names and paths, symbol table variables and values, expressions typed in GUI edit
fields, and code snippets are written in monospace.
 In referring to example CAD files, the installation directory for the CAD tool is specified as
<rsoft_dir>, and should be replaced with the correct value for your installation.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  3

1

Background

This chapter provides technical information and references for the simulation methods used by
the Multi-Physics Utility. This material may be skipped initially; however it introduces
terminology and notation that is important for understanding other discussions in the manual.

1.A. Overview
The Multi-Physics Utility allows users to include an additional physical effect into an optical
simulation such as electrodes, heaters, the stress due to cooling during fabrication, or the index
perturbation due to carrier distributions.

Some effects are licensed separately.

1.B. Electro-Optic Effect

Electro-optic effects are included through the use of electrodes within the simulation domain, as
well as the definition and use of materials that have appropriate electro-optic coefficients within
the structure. When a simulation that incorporates electrodes is initiated, the DC electric field
from the electrodes is computed via the Poisson equation and the DC dielectric constant diagonal
tensor ε which is defined in the Electro-Optic tab of the Material Editor. Once the spatially-
dependent static DC E fields are known, the local index perturbation is computed as:

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  5

 1
n  x, y, z0    N03  x, y, z0   R  x, y, z0   E  x, y, z0 
2
(1)
where N0 is the unperturbed refractive index, R is the electro-optic coefficient vector, and E is
the computed static DC electric field vector. The R coefficients are defined in the Electro-Optic
tab of the Material Editor. For TE simulations, the Rx values are used, for TM, the Ry values are
used. The index perturbation is then used to modify the refractive index profile of the structure
along the Z positions where the electrodes are defined.

See Chapter 8 of the CAD manual for a discussion of defining the Electro-Optic coefficients ε,
Rx, and Ry.

Requirements for Using the Electro-Optic Effect

To use the Electro-Optic Effect in a simulation, you need to do the following.
 Define Electrodes
Two or more electrodes must be defined. See Section 2.B.
 Use Materials with Electro-Optic Coefficients
Materials that have electro-optic coefficients defined must be used. See Chapter 8 in the
CAD manual. Regions of the structure that are not defined by a material use default values of
the electro-optic coefficients: if these values are not appropriate for your design, it is
recommended to use a material with the correct coefficients.

1.C. Thermo-Optic Effect

Thermo-optic effects are included through the use of a heater(s) within the simulation domain, as
well as the definition and use of materials that have appropriate thermo-optic coefficients within
the structure. When a simulation that incorporates heaters is initiated, the temperature
distribution produced by the heater(s) is computed via the Poisson equation (the substrate is
assumed to be at T=0 for multilayer and rib/ridge structures) and the thermal conductivity
diagonal tensor κ which is defined in the Thermo-Optic tab of the Material Editor. Once this
spatially-dependent temperature distribution is known, the local index perturbation is computed
as:
dn
n  x   T  x 
dT
(2)

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  6

where dn/dT is temperature coefficient for index change of the material as defined in Material
Editor and ΔT(x) is the temperature rise relative to the bottom of the substrate.

See Chapter 8 of the CAD manual for a discussion of defining the Thermo-Optic coefficients κ
and dn/dT.

Requirements for Using the Thermo-Optic Effect

To use the Thermo-Optic Effect in a simulation, you need to do the following.
 Define a Heater
One or more heaters must be defined. See Section 2.B.
 Use Materials with Thermo-Optic Coefficients
Materials that have thermo-optic coefficients defined must be used. See Chapter 8 in the
CAD manual. Regions of the structure that are not defined by a material use default values of
the thermo-optic coefficients: if these values are not appropriate for your design, it is
recommended to use a material with the correct coefficients.

1.D. Stress-Optic Effect

Stress-optic effects are included by modeling the change in refractive index due to stress created
during the cooling from fabrication temperature. This is done by the definition and use of
materials that have appropriate stress-optic coefficients within the structure as well as a
temperature change.

This feature is licensed separately; contact us with questions.

When a simulation that incorporates stress is initiated, the displacement is calculated using force-
balanced equations as a function of the temperature differential between operating temperature
(ΔT) and fabrication temperature, which is defined in the Multi-Physics Utility, and the stress
properties defined in the material editor. The spatially-dependent strain distribution ε is then
computed from the displacement. The spatially-dependent stress σ(x) is then computed from this
quantity as:

x   1     x 
  1  
  y   E   1    y  T
     1  
 z    z 

(3)

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  7

where ε [unitless] is the strain, E is Young’s Modulus, ν [unitless] is Poisson’s Ratio, α [K-1] is
the thermal expansion coefficient, and ΔT [K] is the temperature change. The units of E and the
computed σ(x) values are in inverse units, for example if E is in GPa then σ(x) is in GPa-1. It is
important to use the same units for E for all materials in a simulation.
The local index perturbation used in a simulation is computed from the strain ε as:

 nx   nx
3
0 0   P1 P2 P2   x 
  1   
  ny     0 n3y 0   P2 P1 P2   y 
n  2
 z 0 0 nz3   P2 P2 P1  
  z 

(4)
where P1 and P2 [unitness] are defined in Material Editor and ε is the strain. For TE simulations,
nx is used, for TM simulations ny is used; nz is not currently used.

See Chapter 8 of the CAD manual for a discussion of defining the Stress-Optic settings including
the Young’s Modulus, Poisson’s Ratio, the thermal expansion coefficient, P1, and P2.

Requirements for Using the Stress-Optic Effect

To use the Thermo-Optic Effect in a simulation, you need to do the following.
 Appropriate License
This feature is licensed separately; contact us with questions.
 Materials with Stress-Optic Coefficients
Materials that have stress-optic coefficients defined must be used. See Chapter 8 in the CAD
manual. Regions of the structure that are not defined by a material use default values of the
stress-optic coefficients: if these values are not appropriate for your design, it is
recommended to use a material with the correct coefficients.

1.E. Carrier Effect

Carrier effects are included by modeling the change in refractive index due to free-carriers
present in the structure. This is done by the definition and use of doped semiconductor materials,
so as to create an electrically active device region.

This feature is licensed separately; contact us with questions.

When a simulation that incorporates carrier effects is initiated, the Multi-Physics Utility calls the
LaserMOD engine to solve the electronic transport problem. The bias condition used to drive the

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  8

electronic simulation is specified by the electrode control parameters. The n-type and p-type
dopings needed to define the active part of the structure are set in the semiconductor tab of the
material editor for each material to be used.
The solution of the electronic problem yields the electron and hole distributions in the structure
between the electrodes. These carrier distributions are then used to generate an index
perturbation, which is added to the refractive index profile of the structure. The final index
profile may then be solved by any of the passive optical simulation engines.
The electronic transport problem is defined by the Poisson equation:

 
   q N D  N A  P  N  0

(4)
and carrier-continuity equations for electrons N and holes P:

N
   jn  U  0
t
P
   jp  U  0
t
(5,6)
where jn and jp are the electron and hole currents, respectively, and U represents all of the
recombination processes. ND and NA are the n-type (donor) and p-type (acceptor) impurity
concentrations that are specified in the material editor. All remaining parameters are taken from
the LaserMOD material library, but may be overridden in the material editor.
The local index perturbation is determined from the carrier densities via the Soref model
described in Ref. 1:

  8.5x1018 cm2  N   6.0x1018 cm2  P 


n  8.8x1022 cm3  N   8.5x1018 cm3   P 
0.8 0.8

(7)
where Δα and Δn are the free-carrier absorption and index perturbations, respectively. The
coefficients shown in the above equation are for 1.55 μm light propagating in silicon. These
coefficients may be overridden in the semiconductor tab of the material editor by defining the
following in the local symbol table there:

Symbol Description
fca_elcoef Coefficient for ΔN in Δα
fca_hlcoef Coefficient for ΔP in Δα
fcn_elcoef Coefficient for ΔN in Δn

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  9

 fcn_hlcoef Coefficient for ΔP in Δn

See Chapter 8 of the CAD manual for a discussion of defining the doping concentrations
(including the use of a custom profile defined via data files), selecting the material system for the
electronic simulation, and overriding material parameter defaults.

Requirements for Using the Carrier Effect

 Appropriate License
This feature is licensed separately; contact us with questions.
 Define Electrodes
Two or more electrodes must be defined. See Section 2.B.
 Materials with Semiconductor Properties
Materials that have semiconductor properties defined must be used. See Chapter 8 in the
CAD manual. Regions of the structure that are not defined by a material use default values of
the semiconductor properties: if these values are not appropriate for your design, it is
recommended to use a material with the correct properties.

1.F. References
1 R. Soref, B. Bennett, ‘Electrooptical Effects in Silicon’, IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics 23, 123
1987.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  10

2

Using The MP-Utility

This chapter describes how to use the Multi-Physics Utility, which allows electro-optic, thermo-
optic, stress-optic, as well as carrier effects to be used to modify the refractive indices used for a
simulation. The utility can also be run separately to test the effects apart from a simulation.

The electro-optic and thermo-optic portions of the utility are included with the RSoft CAD; the
stress-optic and carrier-effect portions are licensed separately.

2.A. Creating Materials

In order to use the Multi-Physics Utility, you must create materials in the RSoft CAD that have
either electro-optic, thermo-optic, stress-optic, and semiconductor properties. This process is
discussed in detail in Chapter 8 (Advanced Materials) of the RSoft CAD manual.

2.B. Creating Electrodes/Heaters

The Electro-Optic, Thermo-Optic, and Carrier Effects require the use of electrodes. Users of the
Stress-Optic effect can skip this section.

For these electrodes/heaters to have an effect on a simulation, it is necessary to use materials that
have the necessary effects defined in the Material Editor.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  11

Any number of electrodes/heaters may be defined in the CAD. This is done by drawing a
segment at the desired position of the electrode with the desired length, right-clicking on it to
open its Component Properties dialog, and making the following settings:
 Set the Profile Type to Inactive.
 Set the Component Width and Component Height of the component as desired. The cross-
section of the electrode/heater is always rectangular, and can have a height of 0. The position
of the electrode should also be set.
 Click on the More… button to access the Additional Component Properties dialog, and select
the desired Electrode/Heater Type:

Type Description
Electrode Creates an electrode voltage source; the E/H Control Parameter is the applied
voltage in Volts.
Temperature Creates a thermal heater, or temperature source. The E/H Control Parameter
sets the temperature rise in degrees Kelvin from the substrate (not the absolute
temperature!).
Heater Creates a thermal heater, or heat source. The E/H Control Parameter is given
by ρ*I2, where ρ is the resistivity in Ω-µm, and I is the current in Amperes. For
the case of a surface source (height =0 and located in the top of the cover
layer), the heat parameter should be ρ*I2/h, where h is the actual small but
finite height of the heater.

Electrode/Heater Tips and Tricks

There are several additional items to note regarding the electrode feature.
 The electrode feature can be used in conjunction with mode calculations. The effect of the
index perturbation will automatically be included in the effective index of the mode, which is
useful for designing the proper voltage/temperature or electrode position to achieve a certain
change in effective index.
 Electrodes or heaters may be tilted or curved. This is done internally by automatically
translating the center of the potential/temperature profile (which is calculated at the
beginning of the electrode/heater group). This is only accurate for shallow angles, and the
electrode/heater structure is still required to have constant width and/or spacing. There are
also grouping restrictions as noted below.
 The electrodes/heaters may be placed in separate groups which can optimize the calculation
by isolating different collections of electrodes which should not interact. Grouping is done by
selecting the desired electrodes/heaters into one or more pathways. All electrodes/heaters not
selected into a pathway are placed in the default group. The first pathway containing

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  12

 electrodes/heaters would be group 1, the second group 2, etc. The default group is the
number following the last defined group, or 1 if no groups are explicitly defined.
 When using heaters, be sure to set the E/H Control Parameter to the temperature rise from
the substrate, not the absolute temperature.
Currently, all electrodes in a group are required to start and end at the same Z position. Thus an
electrode consisting of a straight waveguide followed by a tilted waveguide should have each
electrode in a separate group. The feature that allows tilted or curved waveguides currently
requires this.

2.C. Starting the Multi-Physics Utility

The Multi-Physics Utility can be used in two main ways:
 As a Standalone Simulator
The Utility can also be called as a standalone simulator to compute intermediate results
including the index perturbation at a particular Z value. This can be quite useful to see how a
particular effect modifies the index profile. It is always recommended to first run the Utility
in this mode to ensure sensible results are obtained before proceeding to a larger simulation.
To run the Utility as a standalone simulator, simple choose Utility/Multi-Physics Utility from
the CAD menu.
 As a Part of a Larger Simulation
Once the Utility parameters are set, the Utility will be used to modify the structure index
during a larger simulation (via BeamPROP, FullWAVE, FemSIM, or any other RSoft
simulator). The utility will automatically be run if any of the following criteria are met:
o Electrodes/heaters have been defined (if needed).
o Materials with stress-optic coefficients have been defined and used.
o Semiconductor materials (defined via Semiconductor tab in Material Editor) have been
defined and used.
In this mode, the computed index perturbation will be applied at all Z values where these
criteria are met (i.e. all Z positions where electrodes/heaters are defined).
The rest of this section will cover specific Utility settings.

2.C.1. Setting Utility Options

The Utility, shown in Fig. 2-1, can be opened via the Utility/Multi-Physics Utility CAD menu
item. Since this dialog is shared by all effects, not all options are always applicable. This will be
noted where applicable.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  13

Physical Effect
Selects physical effect to be simulated. Depending on the choice made here, only the relevant
options are enabled within the Multi-Physics Utility dialog. See Chapter 1 for more details about
the supported physical effects and the next sections for options specific to each effect.

Output Prefix
The name to be used for all output files which must be set in order to perform a simulation. The
specific outputs produced by each effect are discussed in the next sections.

Z Position
When using the Multi-Physics Utility as a part of a simulation, the computed perturbations are
applied along the entire length (in Z) of any relevant sections (i.e. where electrodes/heaters are
defined, etc.). This setting is only for computing the perturbations and other outputs from the
utility directly. By default, the software will choose a Z position that tries to account for any
relevant electrodes/heaters/material properties.

Figure 2-1: The Multi-Physics Utility as seen in the CAD interface.

Longitudinal Strain
Sets the strain in the longitudinal (Z) direction when using the Stress-Optic effect. To solve the
so-called ‘plane-strain’ problem, set this parameter to 0. The default value is chosen such that the
average strain along the Z direction is 0. When the B.C. Use Slab option is enabled, the default
value is set equal the thermal expansion coefficient of the slab.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  14

Tolerance
Sets the tolerance used for the iterative process used for the Electro-Optic, Thermo-Optic, and
Stress-Optic effects. The default is 0.0001.

Iterations
Sets the maximum number of iterations used to achieve converged results. The default is 50.

Acceleration
This acceleration parameter, which is a positive number, controls the iterative procedure and can
be used to optimize the convergence process. This setting is not used by the Carrier Effects
option. The default value is 1, but sometimes other slightly larger (2, 3) or smaller values can be
can be used to help with convergence issues. In some cases, much larger numbers are also
applicable. The convergence process is logged in the log file (log.txt) so the effect of this
parameter can easily be seen.

Carrier Options and Frequency Response

There are additional features associated with Carrier Effects, and these are accessible through the
Carrier Options Dialog (enabled when carrier effects are selected). They include:

Figure 2-2: The Carrier Options.

Option Description
Enable Exciton Effects This option enables the simulation of an electro-
absorption modulator (EAM). This take advantage of
the Quantum Confined Stark Effect (QCSE) arising
from the formation of excitons near the bandgap.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  15

 There are some additional configuration options that
can be set using the Edit Table… option in the
Semiconductor tab of the Material Editor. They are
exciton_num_vsb and exciton_num_csb which
control the number of valance and conduction
subbands that will contribute to the exciton
absorption. Formally, all transitions contribute, but
we can limit the number to only the first few to limit
computation time. These options default to 1, and
will most likely be a problem-dependent choice.
When using this option, you must reverse bias the
device (Vmin and Vmax must be less than or equal to
0). Also, options such as the Frequency Response
are not available. See Tutorial 8 for more details
about using these options.
Enable Complex Perturbation Option to enable the use of complex index
perturbation.
Vmin Sets the lower limit of the applied voltage range.
Vmax Sets the upper limit of the applied voltage range. This
is the same option that appears in the main Multi-
Physics dialog.
# Voltage Steps Sets the number of voltage steps to use in the applied
voltage range.
Run Frequency Response Enables the output of the frequency response. When
this option is enabled, a small signal square pulse is
applied to the contact after the simulation achieves
the maximum voltage (Vmax). The device response
to this pulse is then Fourier Transformed to give an
estimate of the frequency response. The controls in
this dialog can be used to adjust the amplitude of the
pulse (dV/V) relative to the operating voltage
(V=Vmax), as well as the pulse duration (Time Step
* # Time Steps).

Apply Index Perturbation

This option controls how the utility output is incorporated into a simulation:
 Sim only

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  16

 This option, which is the default, indicates that the index perturbations will be automatically
included in any simulation if electrodes/heaters have been defined, materials with stress-optic
coefficients have been defined and used, or LaserMOD material files have been defined and
used.
The perturbations will not be included when the Display Material Profile option in the left
CAD toolbar is used.
 Never
This option indicates that the index perturbations will never be included in any simulation or
when the Display Material Profile option in the left CAD toolbar is used.
 Always (Sim and Prof)
This option is similar to the Sim only option but will also include the index perturbations
when the Display Material Profile option in the left CAD toolbar.

Output All Plots

This option controls when the utility generates the output plots
 MPH Sim Only
This option, which is the default, indicates that the plots will be generated only when the
Multi-Physics calculation has been run from the Multi-Physics Utility Dialog.
 MPH & Optical Sim
This option indicates that the plots will be generated whenever the Multi-Physics calculation
has been performed.

Electrode Group
It is possible to group electrodes or heaters together via pathways as described in Section 2.B.
This allows users to create two or more groups that do not interact. If only one group is desired,
this option can be left to its default value. If multiple groups are used, set this option to the
electrode group number. This option only affects the direct output of the perturbation via the
utility; when running the utility as a part of a simulation, the effects of all groups are computed
separately and included.

Voltage, Temperature, Temperature Change, Vmax, (N/A)

This control label changes based on the physical effect selected: “Voltage” for electro-optic,
“Temperature” for thermo-optic, “Temperature Change” for stress-optic, and “Vmax” for carrier
effects. This control provides direct access to the symbol used for the E/H Control Parameter in
the electrode’s “More…” dialog. The name of that symbol will be displayed next to the label,
and its value will be editable.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  17

Note that if the control parameter is an expression or fixed number, instead of a symbol, the label
will display, “N/A”, and the value will be, “default”. Lastly, if multiple electrodes have a non-
zero control parameter, the one displayed in the Multi-Physics Dialog will be the first one found.

Domain Min and Domain Max

Set the domain size for the multi-physics computation. The default value(s) are taken from the
position of electrodes/heaters. When the stress-optic effect is used, the domain settings of the
simulator are used.

X Grid Size and Y Grid Size

Sets the grid size along X and Y used by the utility and defaults to 0.5 μm.

Boundary Conditions
The boundary conditions for each effect are slightly different:

Effect B. C. Type Description

Electro- Dirichlet This boundary type sets the Ex and Ey values at the boundary to
Optic the specified Value.
Neumann This boundary type sets the first derivative of the Ex and Ey
values at the boundary to the specified Value.
Floating This boundary type (the default) is the equivalent of a Dirichlet
boundary where the Value is automatically chosen such that the
enclosed charge within the domain is 0. This boundary type
cannot be mixed with other boundary types.
Thermo- Dirichlet This boundary type (default for bottom) sets the temperature rise
Optic value at the boundary to the specified Value. Since the thermal
effects all depend on a temperature rise, it is best to keep the
Value of the bottom boundary set to 0.
Neumann This boundary type (default for left, right, and top) sets the first
derivative of the temperature rise value at the boundary to the
specified Value.
Stress- Strain This boundary type (the default) fixes the value of the strain at
Optic the boundary to the specified Value. The default Value is chosen
such that the average strain (normal component) across the
boundary is 0. This type of boundary is similar to a Neumann
boundary.
Stress This boundary type fixes the value of the stress (normal

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  18

 component) at the boundary to the specified Value (default = 0).
This type of boundary is similar to a Dirichlet boundary.
B.C. Use This option is useful when working with waveguide geometries
Slab on a slab. It sets the top and bottom boundary types to Strain and
sets the Value to be equal to the thermal expansion coefficient of
the slab. This allows a much smaller portion of the slab to be
simulated.
Carrier The boundary Types are automatically set by LaserMOD.
Effects

2.C.2. Understanding Output

The Utility will output the following plot files:

Electro-Optic:
Filename Description
<prefix>.pe(x|y)
The X and Y electric fields.
<prefix>.pev
The electric potential.
<prefix>.ppf
The index perturbation.

Thermo-Optic:
Filename Description
<prefix>.pt
The temperature rise.
<prefix>.ppf
The index perturbation.

Stress-Optic:
Filename Description
<prefix>.pe(x|y|z)
The X, Y, and Z component of the strain.
<prefix>.pgxy
The XY (transverse) component of the strain.
<prefix>.ps(x|y|z)
The X, Y, and Z component of the stress (in same units as
Young’s modulus).
<prefix>.ptxy
The XY (transverse) component of the stress (in same units
as Young’s modulus).
<prefix>.ppf
The index perturbation.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  19

Carrier Effects:
Filename Description
<prefix>.pcf
The complex index perturbation.
<prefix>.ppl
The imaginary index perturbation.
<prefix>.ppf
The real index perturbation.
<prefix>_CV.pcs
The Capacitance vs Voltage.
<prefix>_Electrons.pcs
The Electron distribution.
<prefix>_Freq.pcs
The Frequency Response (if enabled).
<prefix>_Holes.pcs
The Hole distribution.
<prefix>_IV.pcs
The I-V curve.
<prefix>_Potential.pcs
The Electrostatic Potential.
<prefix>_RV.pcs
The Resistance vs Voltage.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  20

3

Tutorials

This chapter contains several tutorial examples which illustrate the use of RSoft’s Multi-Physics
Utility. This utility is shared by several RSoft simulation tools. Corresponding to each example
there is one or more .ind and/or data files, which are located in the
<rsoft_dir>\examples\Utitiles\MultiPhysics subdirectory.

While the following examples attempt to cover the key aspects of the software, the breadth of the
package allows enormous flexibility in both the number of applications that can be covered as
well as the approach used to tackle a given application.

While the examples in these tutorials use BeamPROP, any of RSoft’s simulation tools that share
the CAD interface can be used with the Multi-Physics Utility. User familiarity with the CAD and
the simulation capabilities of BeamPROP is assumed.

Tutorial 1: Simple Electro-Optical Example

Electro-optic effects can be modeled in steady state in BeamPROP by defining materials with
electro-optic parameters in the Material Editor, and then defining electrodes in the CAD
interface. This example studies a simple SOI rib waveguide with electrodes. We will use the
Multi-Physics Utility to study the index perturbation caused by the electrodes.
The associated file for this tutorial is located in the
<rsoft_dir>\examples\Utilities\MultiPhysics\electrode\ directory.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  21

Structure Overview
Open the file soi_electrode.ind in the CAD interface.

Figure 1: The simple SOI rib waveguide in the CAD interface. The light blue regions are
electrodes.

Note the following about the design:

 Structure
This structure is created using the built-in Multilayer structure type. It consists of a 2 x 2 µm
Si rib structure, a Si slab with a height of 1 µm, and a SiO2 cover and substrate. A layer table
is used to define the Silicon rib and slab.
 Material
The material properties of the waveguides in this design are defined by two materials:
Si_ntype and Si_ptype. Both of these materials are, for the purposes of this tutorial,
equivalent. This same structure is used in Tutorial 6 where the Carrier Effects effect is
discussed and the n- and p- doping is important. Both materials have a real refractive index
of 3.476, as well as a electro-optic DC Dielectric Constant equal to the 11.8 and Electro-
Optic Coefficients equal to the variables RX and RY. The values of these parameters have
been chosen to correspond to strained Silicon. These settings can be seen in the Material
Editor by selecting these materials and looking at the Eps Linear and Electro-Optic tabs.
These parameters can be viewed using the Display Material Profile button on the left toolbar.
Be sure to set Material Property to either Index (Real), DC Dielectric Constant or Electro-
Optic Coefficients to see each property.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  22

 Electrodes
Three electrodes have been defined in this simulation, and are displayed as light blue
segments. Note the geometry and position information for each electrode, and that the Index
Profile Type is set to Inactive so that they only are used to compute the DC electric field, and
do not directly contribute to the index profile of the structure. Furthermore, look in the
Additional Segment Options and note that the Electrode/Heater Type is set to Electrode, and
the E/H Control Parameter is set to the applied voltage (0 for the outer electrodes, and V for
the inner electrode). For more information on defining electrodes, see Section 2.B.

Using the Electrodes

We will now determine the effect that the electrodes will have on the refractive index. Choose
Utility/Multi-Physics from the CAD menu to open the Multi-Physics Utility. Make sure the
Physical Effect is set to Electro-Optic and enter an Output Prefix such as test and press OK.
When the calculation is complete, the results will be displayed in DataBROWSER.

Figure 2: The computed a) electric potential for the electrodes, and b) Ex, and c) Ey fields
produced by the electrodes.

Several plots are output. Fig. 2 shows the electric potential as well as the Ex and Ey electric fields.
The file test.ppf, shown in Fig. 3, shows the absolute index perturbation that is generated by
these electric fields via the electro-optic coefficients defined in the Material Editor. The exact
formulation of how the index perturbation is computed from the electric fields and material
properties can be found in Section 1.B and is included in any simulations run.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  23

 Figure 3: Computed index change for electro-optic effect.

Areas for Further Exploration

 Create a MOST scan over the applied voltage (variable V) and see how the effective index of
the fundamental mode changes. Be sure to set the simulation tool in the MOST dialog to BP
Mode Solver and be sure to choose the bp_mode_neffr measurement which corresponds to
the real part of the effective indices.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  24

Tutorial 2: Mach-Zhender Electro-Optical
Modulator
Electro-optic effects can be modeled in steady state in BeamPROP by defining materials with
electro-optic parameters in the Material Editor, and then defining electrodes in the CAD
interface. This example studies a Mach-Zehnder electro-optical modulator.
The associated file for this tutorial is located in the
<rsoft_dir>\examples\Utilities\MultiPhysics\electrode\ directory.

Structure Overview
Open the file eo_modulator.ind in the CAD interface.

Figure 1: The Mach-Zhender structure in the CAD interface. The light blue regions are
electrodes.

Note the following about the design:

 Structure
This structure is created using the built-in Multilayer structure type. It consists of a 4 x 4 µm
buried channel structure with an index of 1.01 in a uniform background of air.
 Material

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  25

 The material properties of the waveguides in this design are set to a material named
ElectroOptic, which has a real refractive index of 1.01, as well as a electro-optic DC
Dielectric Constant equal to the variable Eps and Electro-Optic Coefficients equal to the
variables RX and RY. These settings can be seen in the Material Editor by selecting this
material and looking at the Eps Linear and Electro-Optic tabs.
These parameters can be viewed using the Display Material Profile button on the left toolbar.
Be sure to set Material Property to either Index (Real), DC Dielectric Constant or Electro-
Optic Coefficients to see each property.
 Electrodes
Three electrodes have been defined in this simulation, and are displayed as light blue
segments. Note the geometry and position information for each electrode, and that the Index
Profile Type is set to Inactive so that they only are used to compute the DC electric field, and
do not directly contribute to the index profile of the structure. Furthermore, look in the
Additional Segment Options and note that the Electrode/Heater Type is set to Electrode, and
the E/H Control Parameter is set to the applied voltage (0 for the outer electrodes, and V for
the inner electrode). For more information on defining electrodes, see Section 2.B.
 Pathways and Monitors
Two pathways and two monitors are defined, one to measure the power in the launch mode
in each arm.
 Launch Field
The launch Type is Computed Mode, which indicates that the mode of the input waveguide at
a wavelength of 1.0 μm should be computed whenever a simulation is run.

Testing the Electrodes

Once the structure is defined, it can be useful to determine the effect that the electrodes will have
on the refractive index. Choose Utility/Multi-Physics from the CAD menu to open the Multi-
Physics Utility. Make sure the Physical Effect is set to Electro-Optic and enter an Output Prefix
such as test and press OK. When the calculation is complete, the results will be displayed in
DataBROWSER.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  26

 Figure 2: The computed a) electric potential for the electrodes, b) Ex, and c) Ey fields
produced by the electrodes.

Several plots are output. Fig. 2 shows the electric potential as well as the Ex and Ey electric fields.
The file test.ppf, shown in Fig. 3a, shows the absolute index perturbation that is generated by
these electric fields via the electro-optic coefficients defined in the Material Editor. Figure 3b
shows the signed data that shows that the index rises in the left waveguide and is reduced in the
right waveguide. This change will create a phase difference between the propagating fields in the
two waveguides and creates constructive or destructive interference depending on the length of
the arms and the magnitude of the index difference. The exact formulation of how the index
perturbation is computed from the electric fields and material properties can be found in Section
1.B and is included in any simulations run.

Figure 3: Computed index change for electro-optic effect. a) default absolute value plot, and
b) modified plot to show signed data. The color scale was changed and the plot command
“/absy” was removed.

Performing a Simulation
In this section, we will run several simulations to characterize the performance of the device.
Click the Perform Simulation button in the left toolbar and click OK to start a simulation.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  27

 Figure 4: The completed simulation results at V = 1.

These results are at a single voltage point. More interesting results can be found by scanning
over the applied voltage. Click the Launch MOST button in the left toolbar to open the MOST
dialog, and note that a scan over the voltage V has been created. Click OK to start the scan. The
scan results are shown in Fig. 5.

Figure 5: The variable scan results which show the output power vs. applied voltage.

Areas for Further Exploration

 Look at scans of the results of the output power versus Larm.
 Modify the material properties in the Material Editor to understand how they affect the
simulation results.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  28

Tutorial 3: Thermo-Optic Example
Thermo-optic effects can be modeled in steady state in BeamPROP by defining materials with
thermo-optic parameters in the Material Editor, and then defining heaters in the CAD interface.
This example studies a simple rib waveguide with a heater. We will use the Multi-Physics Utility
to study the index perturbation caused by the heater.
The associated file for this tutorial is located in the
<rsoft_dir>\examples\Utilities\MultiPhysics\thermal\ directory.

Structure Overview
Open the file soi_thermal.ind in the CAD interface.

Figure 1: The simple SOI rib waveguide in the CAD interface. The light blue region is a
heater.

Note the following about the design:

 Structure
This structure is created using the built-in Multilayer structure type. It consists of a 2 x 2 µm
SiO2 rib waveguide, a SiO2 slab with a height of 1 µm, a substrate, and an air cover. A layer
table is used to define the rib and slab.
 Material

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  29

 The material properties of both the waveguide and slab are defined by the material SiO2,
which has the optical and thermal properties of SiO2. The cover material is Air and the
substrate is defined via the material Substrate which has a Thermo-Optic Coefficient of 0 so
it does not contribute to the index change. These settings can be seen in the Material Editor
by selecting these materials and looking at the Eps Linear and Thermo-Optic tabs.
These parameters can be viewed using the Display Material Profile button on the left toolbar.
Be sure to set Material Property to either Index (Real), Thermal Conductivity, or Thermo-
Optic Coefficient to see each property.
 Heater
One heater has been defined in this simulation, and is displayed as a light blue segment. Note
the geometry and position information for the heater and that the Index Profile Type is set to
Inactive so it is only used to compute the temperature distribution and does not directly
contribute to the index profile of the structure. Furthermore, look in the Additional Segment
Options and note that the Electrode/Heater Type is set to Temperature and the E/H Control
Parameter is set to the temperature rise in degrees. For more information on defining heaters,
see Section 2.B.

Using the Heater

We will now determine the effect that the heater will have on the refractive index. Choose
Utility/Multi-Physics from the CAD menu to open the Multi-Physics Utility. Make sure the
Physical Effect is set to Thermo-Optic and enter an Output Prefix such as test and press OK.
When the calculation is complete, the results will be displayed in DataBROWSER.

Figure 2: The computed a) temperature rise, and b) index change for the thermo-optic effect.

Several plots are output. Fig. 2a shows the temperature rise computed by the utility and the file
test.ppf, shown in Fig. 2b, shows the absolute index perturbation that is generated by this
temperature rise via the thermo-optic coefficients defined in the Material Editor. The exact
formulation of how the index perturbation is computed from the temperature rise and material
properties can be found in Section 1.C and is included in any simulations run.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  30

Performing a Simulation
In this section, we will run several mode calculations to study how the effective index of the
fundamental mode varies with the applied temperature. Click the Launch MOST button in the left
toolbar to open the MOST dialog, and note that the simulation engine has been set to BP Mode
Solver and a scan over the variable T has been created. Click OK to start the scan. The scan
results are shown in Fig. 3.

Figure 3: The variable scan results which show the effective index vs. applied temperature.

Areas for Further Exploration

 Create a multi-variable MOST scan over the temperature rise (variable T) as well as another
structural parameter (such as the width or height of the waveguide).

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  31

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  32
Tutorial 4: Simple Stress-Optic Example
Stress-optic effects can be modeled in steady state in BeamPROP by defining materials with
stress-optic parameters in the Material Editor. This example studies a simple fiber where the core
and cladding have different stress parameters. We will use the Multi-Physics Utility to study the
index perturbation caused by the stress.
The associated file for this tutorial is located in the
<rsoft_dir>\examples\Utilities\MultiPhysics\stress\ directory.

Structure Overview
Open the file fib_stress.ind in the CAD interface.

Figure 1: The simple fiber in the CAD interface.

Note the following about the design:

 Structure
This structure is created using a single fiber component which represents the core embedded
in a uniform background material which represents the cladding. The core has a diameter of
15.6 µm.
 Material

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  33

 The material properties of the core and cladding are defined by two materials: SiO2_Core
and SiO2_Clad. The real refractive index of both of these materials is 1.51 and 1.5
respectively. Both of these materials have different stress parameters as well. These settings
can be seen in the Material Editor by selecting these materials and looking at the Eps Linear
and Stress-Optic tabs.
You can use the Display Material Profile button on the left toolbar to see cross-sections of
these parameters. Be sure to set Material Property to either Index (Real) or Stress Parameters
to see each property.

Viewing Effect of Stress on the Refractive Index

We will now determine the effect that the stress will have on the refractive index. Choose
Utility/Multi-Physics from the CAD menu to open the Multi-Physics Utility. Make sure the
Physical Effect is set to Stress-Optic and note the Temperature Change of -1000 which
indicates that the structure has cooled 1000 degrees K since fabrication. Enter an Output Prefix
such as test and press OK. When the calculation is complete, the results will be displayed in
DataBROWSER.

Figure 2: The computed a) X component of the computed strain, b) Y component of the

computed strain, and c) X component of the computed stress.

Several plots are output and a select few are shown in Fig. 2. The file test.ppf, shown in Fig. 3,
shows the absolute index perturbation that is generated by the stress. The exact formulation of
how the index perturbation is computed can be found in the Section 1.D and can automatically
be included in any simulations.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  34

 Figure 3: Computed index change for stress-optic effect.

Areas for Further Exploration

 Try computing the modes of the fiber and note how the stress-induced index perturbation
changes the effective index of the modes.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  35

Tutorial 5: Stress Effects on Birefringence
Stress-optic effects can be modeled in steady state in BeamPROP by defining materials with
stress-optic parameters in the Material Editor, and then defining electrodes in the CAD interface.
This example studies the effects of stress caused by cooling during fabrication on the
birefringence of a simple SOI rib waveguide.
The associated file for this tutorial is located in the
<rsoft_dir>\examples\Utilities\MultiPhysics\stress\ directory.

The carrier-effects portion of the Multi-Physics Utility is licensed separately. Contact for details.

Structure Overview
Open the file soi_stress.ind in the CAD interface.

Figure 1: a) The simple SOI rib structure in the CAD interface, and b) the index profile of the
waveguide.

Note the following about the design:

 Structure
This structure is created using the built-in Multilayer structure type. Two segments are used,
one to represent the rib and one to represent a slab. The result is the SOI structure as
illustrated in Figure 1b. The etch depth is controlled by the variable D.
 Material

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  36

 The material properties of this structure are defined by four materials: Air, which is used for
the cover, Si and SiO2 which are used for the rib and slab regions, and Substrate, which is
used for the substrate and has the optical properties equivalent to SiO2 and the stress
properties of Si. These settings can be seen in the Material Editor by selecting these materials
and looking at the Eps Linear and Stress-Optic tabs.
You can use the Display Material Profile button on the left toolbar to see cross-sections of
these parameters. Be sure to set Material Property to either Index (Real) or Stress Parameters
to see each property.

Computing Stress and Viewing Index Perturbation

Open the Multi-Physics Utility (choose Utility/Multi-Physics from the CAD menu) to compute
the stress parameters within the waveguide as well as the stress-induced index perturbation.
Make sure the Physical Effect is set to Stress-Optic and enter an Output Prefix such as test and
press OK. When the calculation is complete, the results will be displayed in DataBROWSER. A
select few of the plots are shown in Fig. 2.

Figure 2: The computed a) x component of the stress, b) x component of the strain, and c)
index perturbation.

The exact formulation of how the index perturbation is computed from the stress/strain can be
found in Section 1.D and is included in any simulations run.

Studying Birefringence
We wish to study how the stress affects the birefringence of the waveguide, specifically as a
function of the rib height controlled by the variable D. We could do this by performing several
simulations at various values of D both with and without the stress-induced index perturbation
and then collate all the results to produce plots of birefringence vs. D. We can, however, use
MOST to automate this task.
MOST normally only performs a single simulation at each scan point, but in this case we need 4
simulations: we need to solve for modes for both TE and TM polarizations with and without the
stress-induced index perturbation. To accomplish this, we will use MOST’s concept of a ‘User

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  37

Simulator’ which is a script that tells MOST what steps to perform at each scan step, including
the creation of custom outputs (in our case this would be the birefringence). We will then define
custom MOST measurements to read in our custom outputs back into MOST so that nice scan
plots can be automatically produced at the end of the scan. See the MOST manual for more
information on using User Simulator scripts as well as the creation of user measurements.

Verifying Simulation Output

Before looking at the scan, it is important to verify that single simulations are giving reasonable
results as well as to think through the algorithm needed to create the User Simulator in MOST.
 First, we will disable the inclusion of the stress-induced index perturbation in simulations to
see the birefringence caused solely by the geometry of the waveguide. Open the Multi-
Physics Utility and set the Control Parameter Apply Index Perturbation to Never. Click Save
Settings and then Cancel to return to the CAD. Click the Compute Modes button in the left
CAD toolbar, note that the Polarization is set to TE, and click OK to compute the
fundamental mode. Note the resulting effective index and recomputed the mode for a TM
polarization. The difference between these two numbers represents the geometric
birefringence of the waveguide.
 Next, enable the inclusion of the stress-induced index perturbations in simulations by setting
Apply Index Perturbation to Default (Sim only). Rerun the same two mode calculations as
before and note the change in the effective indices which represents the full birefringence of
the waveguide. The difference between the geometric and full birefringence is then the stress
birefringence.
These steps first show us that the results of the mode calculations are reasonable as well as give
us an outline for the creation of a MOST User Simulator.

Creating the User Simulator Script

In order to codify the steps taken above to find the birefringence, we need to know the variables
used to control the mode calculation, polarization, and whether or not the index perturbation is
included in the simulation. These variables are mode_set=0, polarization with values of 0 and
1 for TE and TM, and electrode_enable with values of 0 or 1. If you did not previously know
the names of these variables, you could either look in the appendices of the appropriate
simulation tool (BeamPROP in this case) or by simply making a setting in the GUI and then
examining the Symbol Table for the appropriate variable and value.
Open the file stressbiref.py in your favorite text editor. This is a previously written cross-
platform Python User Simulator script we can use to automate the algorithm outlined above on
both Windows and Linux machines. We will not go through this in great detail (see the MOST
manual for a complete description of User Simulator scripts) but we will mention a few
important aspects here:

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  38

 The first lines parse the incoming command line into important parts using the RSoft Python
library rsoft.rspytools. These lines are standard for a User Simulator. The executable
name of BeamPROP is also determined as BeamPROP has a different name on Windows and
Linux.
 The next lines set the base part of the simulation command which is common for all
BeamPROP mode calculations. The mode_set variable indicates that the fundamental mode
will be solved for.
 The next lines create four commands using the variables polarization and
electrode_enable and run them using the rspy.spawn()command from the RSoft Python
library. The results are stored to files <prefix>_geom_TE, <prefix>_geom_TM,
<prefix>_full_TE, and <prefix>_full_TM.

 The final lines construct three mathmat commands to find the geometric, full, and stress
birefringence values and pass them to the operating system for execution. See Appendix E in
the CAD manual for a description of mathmat. The output is saved in three files named
<prefix>_geom.biref, <prefix>_geom.biref, and <prefix>_geom.biref. We will use a
User Measurement in MOST to read these files and create nice scan plots.
Note that in this entire discussion we have not mentioned the variable D, which we will be
scanning over at all. This is because the User Simulator script is independent of the variables
scanned; they are automatically passed in the arguments to the script and, therefore, passed to
each simulation command. This script could, if needed, be used to scan over any number of
variables if needed with MOST.
Open the MOST dialog by clicking the Launch MOST button in the left CAD toolbar and note
that the simulation tool is set to User Simulator and the stressbiref.py file has been specified.

Creating User Measurements

MOST automatically knows about standard outputs from RSoft simulators, but in our case, we
have created three custom outputs: the geometric, full, and stress birefringence. We will have to
therefore use three User Measurements to load these outputs back into MOST so nice scan plots
can be created.
Click the Measurements tab in the MOST dialog and note the three measurements present:
Full_biref, Geometric_biref, and Stress_biref. Click on Full_biref and note the information
displayed. It is defined as a Scalar measurement that corresponds to the [0,0] data value in the
file <prefix_full.biref, which is the file created by our User Simulator script. The other
measurements are similarly defined to correspond to the appropriate data file.

Performing the Scan

A scan over D is set up in the MOST dialog. Enter an Output Prefix and click OK to start the
scan.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  39

 Figure 3: The scan results showing the birefringence change due to stress as a function of D.

Areas for Further Exploration

 Modify the material properties in the Material Editor to see how they affect the simulation
results.
 Scan over the waveguide width, then over the width and D. The script does not have to
change.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  40

Tutorial 6: Carrier Effects in an SOI Waveguide
This example demonstrates the use of the Multi-Physics Utility to simulate the carrier-induced
index effects in a SOI ridge waveguide.
The associated file for this tutorial is located in the directory:
<rsoft_dir>\examples\Utilities\MultiPhysics\carrier

The carrier-effects portion of the Multi-Physics Utility is licensed separately. Contact RSoft for
details.

Structure Overview
Open the file soi_carrier.ind in the CAD interface.

Figure 1: The SOI structure shown in the CAD interface. The light blue regions are
electrodes.

Note the following about the design:

 Structure
This structure is created using the built-in Multilayer structure type. It consists of a 2 x 2 µm
rib waveguide with a slab height of 1 µm in a background of SiO2. Note that an inactive

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  41

 segment has also been drawn to represent the slab. This is not necessary for the BeamPROP
part of the simulation, but is necessary when using the carrier-effects portion of the Multi-
Physics Utility.
 Materials
The waveguide and ridge are composed of two layers that have been defined using the
materials Si_ntype and Si_ptype which correspond to n-type and p-type Silicon respectively.
These materials were defined using the Material Editor in the CAD. They are based on the
built-in Si material and the only modification from default values comes from the doping
choice. Open the Material Editor, choose one of the Si materials, move to the
Semiconductors tab, and note the doping concentration setting: Donors for n-type silicon,
and Acceptors for p-type silicon.
 Electrodes
Three electrodes have been defined in this simulation, and are displayed as blue segments.
Note the geometry and position information for each electrode, and that the Index Profile
Type is set to Inactive. Furthermore, look in the Additional Segment Options and note that
the Electrode/Heater Type is set to Electrode, and the E/H Control Parameter is set to the
applied voltage (0 for the outer electrodes, and V for the inner electrode). For more
information on defining electrodes, see Section 2.B.
 Pathways and Monitors
One pathway and two monitors are defined using the rib segment.

Setting the Multi-Physics Utility Parameters

Once the structure is defined, the Multi-Physics Utility must be configured. Choose
Utility/Multi-Physics from the CAD menu to open the Multi-Physics Utility.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  42

 Figure 2: The Multi-Physics Utility.

Make sure the Physical Effect is set to Carrier-Effects and enter an Output Prefix such as test
and press OK.
The LaserMOD simulation engine will be called to determine the electronic transport within the
device and the results are shown in Fig. 3. The resulting electron and hole distributions will be
used to update the refractive index profiles for use in the optical simulation since Apply Index
Perturbation is set to Default (Sim only). They will not, however, be included in any index
profile calculations unless the appropriate setting is made.

Figure 3: The computed index perturbation: a) real index change, and b) imaginary index
change.

Performing a Simulation
Finally, the optical simulation will be performed. For this example we will study the change in
the effective index of the waveguide mode that results from the inclusion of carrier effects. For
most modulator problems, this is the key point of interest as the change in effective index with
applied bias determines the optical path length change in the device, and hence its modulation
characteristics.
Click the Compute Modes button on the let CAD toolbar to open the Mode Calculation
Parameters dialog. Note that the simulation domain and grid sizes have been previously set and
click OK to star the simulation. The LaserMOD simulation engine will once again be invoked,
the index perturbations will be determined and added to the refractive index profile of the circuit,
and then the mode calculation will begin automatically. The result of the mode calculation for an
applied voltage of V = 1 is shown in Fig. 4a with an effective of 3.440083.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  43

 Figure 4: Computed mode for applied bias of a) 1V and v) 0V.

Rerun the simulation with V set to 0. Rerun the mode calculation. The results, shown in Fig. 4b,
show an effective index of 3.440438 which is a relatively small change and therefore requiring a
long waveguide to effect modulation. Through the use of the Multi-Physics Utility, device
performance can be optimized.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  44

Tutorial 7: Carrier Effects in a Mach-Zehnder
Modulator (Validation Example)
This example demonstrates the use of the Multi-Physics Utility to simulate measured transfer
characteristic and frequency response of a silicon Mach-Zehnder modulator based on carrier
injection. The example discussed in this tutorial is from published papers [1,2]. As described in
the papers, and shown in Fig.1, a horizontal PIN junction is built into a single mode silicon
waveguide, which is then used to form a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer structure.

Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the silicon modulator: a) Top View of the M-Z
interferometer, and b) Cross-section view of the waveguide.

The associated files for this tutorial are located in the directory:
<rsoft_dir>\examples\Utilities\MultiPhysics\carrierMZ

Structure Overview
Open the file MZM_BP.ind in the CAD interface.

Figure 1: Layout of the silicon waveguide with electrodes. The electrodes are outside the
optical domain and are not visible in the X-Y plane view.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  45

Note the following about the design:
 Structure
The structure consists of several channel segments oriented so as to reproduce the structure
from the reference. Each channel has been assigned a different material which corresponds to
the various doping levels discussed below.
 Materials
Several various materials have been defined which correspond to the different doping levels.
Open the Material Editor to view the materials. The Si materials are all based on the built-in
Silicon model in the RSoft Material Library The only difference between the various Si
models in this example is the doping choice. Open the Material Editor, choose one of the Si
materials, move to the Semiconductors tab, and note the doping concentration setting:
Donors (cm-3) for n-type silicon, and Acceptors (cm-3) for p-type silicon.

Figure 2: Materials to be used in the modulator.

 Electrodes
The two electrodes, shown in light cyan color, on both sides of the waveguide are two
inactive segments and the applied voltages are V and 0, which are specified in Additional
Properties dialog as shown in Fig. 3.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  46

 Figure 3: Specifications of electrode and applied voltage.

Setting the Multi-Physics Utility Parameters

Once the structure is defined, the Multi-Physics Utility must be configured. Choose
Utility/Multi-Physics from the CAD menu to open the Multi-Physics Utility. Make sure the
Physical Effect is set to Carrier Effects.

Figure 4: The Multi-Physics Utility Dialog.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  47

Click the Carrier Options button and note the settings shown in Fig. 5. For this tutorial, enable
the Run Frequency Response option to output the frequency response of the device.

Figure 5: Carrier Options with Run Frequency Response enabled.

Click OK to return back to the main dialog, enter an Output Prefix such as test and click OK.
The LaserMOD simulation engine will be called to determine the electronic transport within the
device and the results will be shown in the DataBROWSER.

Figure 6: Carrier induced index changes: a) real part, and b) imaginary part

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  48

 Figure 7: Frequency response of the modulator: a) result from the Multi-Physics Utility, and
b) published result

The resulting electron and hole distributions will be used to update the refractive index profiles,
shown in Fig. 6, for use in the optical simulation since Apply Index Perturbation is set to Default
(Sim only). They will not, however, be included in any index profile calculations unless this
setting is changed to Always. The frequency response, shown in Fig. 7, is one of the additional
outputs generated when the Multi-Physics Utility is run. The simulation, Fig. 7a, shows good
agreement with the published measurement (black line in Fig. 7b), up through 1GHz.
Discrepancies at higher frequencies may be attributed to parasitic effects. Generation of these
plots following an optical simulation (i.e. not from the Multi-Physics Utility Dialog) is controlled
by the setting of Output All Plots. The optical simulation for this example will be described in
the next section.
Before proceeding, turn off the Run Frequency Analysis option in the Carrier Effects dialog
since this part of the calculation can be time consuming.

Performing a Simulation
The optical simulation will now be performed. For this example we will study the change in the
effective index of the waveguide mode that results from the inclusion of carrier effects. For most
modulator problems, this is the key point of interest as the change in effective index with applied
bias determines the optical path length change in the device, and hence its modulation
characteristics.
Click the Compute Modes button on the let CAD toolbar to open the Mode Calculation
Parameters dialog. Note that the simulation domain and grid sizes have been previously set and
click OK to star the simulation. The LaserMOD simulation engine will once again be invoked,
the index perturbations will be determined and added to the refractive index profile of the circuit,
and then the mode calculation will begin automatically.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  49

Figure 8 shows the calculated TE mode under 0.9V bias. Because the optical field is closely
confined around the waveguide, the computation domain for mode solver can be much smaller
than that for carrier solver.

Figure 8: calculated mode under 0.9V bias

For the sake of comparison, as well as reference for the circuit simulation of the M-Z
interferometer, we can also calculate the mode without bias by letting V = 0, and the results are
shown below.

Figure 9: Calculated mode with 0V bias

The difference with and without bias is clearly observed and that is what we need to achieve
desired modulation. Please also be advised that the result under 0V bias (Neff=2.564446+i1.876e-
5) is different from the result without carrier effect (Neff=2.564641+i1.155e-6, by setting Apply

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  50

Index Perturbation to Never in the Multi-Physics Utility), because of internal built-in electric
field around P-N junction without external bias.

Performing a Scan over Voltage

Once we have the results for two arms with and without bias, we could obtain the response of the
modulator by a simple analytical expression.

Deriving Modulator Performance

Assuming that the Y-branches are ideal 3dB splitter/combiners, and that the losses in both arms
are the same, the output power will be:
2
L  e2 Lm
P  Lm   F  Lm   e 2 Lm
1  cos  Lm  
2
cos  m  
 2  2
Normalizing the response to the output at 0 V yields:

P  Lm 
P  Lm  
e20 Lm

P  Lm   e  0  m 1  cos  Lm   
1 2   L
2
where  = β – β0 , α = nik0, β = nrk0, α0 = ni0k0, β0 = nr0k0, Lm is the arm length of the
modulator, k0 = 2π/λ is the wavenumber in free space, nr and ni are the real and imaginary parts
of the effective index of the waveguide under bias, and nr0 and ni0 are the real and imaginary
parts of the effective index of the waveguide without bias (V = 0).
This analytical modulation response can be easily found by using MOST to scan over the applied
voltage and then calculate the above expression. To do this, it will help to define some variables
in the Symbol Table. Open the Symbol Table and note the variables A0, B0, and Lm which
correspond to the coefficients in the expression above.

Using MOST
Open MOST via the button in the left CAD toolbar and note that a scan has been set up over the
variable V. The scan will be over values from 0.01 to 1.2 with an increment of 0.01. Also, note
that the simulation tool has been set to BP Mode Solver since we will use BeamPROP to
calculate the modes.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  51

 Figure 10: MOST scan settings

Click the Measurements tab to see the simulations measurements that will be used for the scan
output. As shown in Fig. 11, both the real and imaginary effective index of the mode have been
enabled.
As a part of this tutorial, we will also create scan plots of the current from the I-V curve at each
scan point. Since there is no built-in measurement for the current, we will create a user
measurement. From running a single test simulation, we see that the data we want can be found
in the file <prefix>_etmp1_IV.rsf, where <prefix> is the Output Prefix used. An example file
is shown in Fig. 11 below. The exact number we want is the last row and the second column.

Figure 11: Sample contents for the file <prefix>_etmp1_IV.rsf.

The User Measurement is already created in this file, but the steps to create this measurement are
simple: on the Measurement tab click the New meas button and make the following settings:

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  52

 Setting Value Description
Name Current Sets the name of the user
measurement.
Type Scalar Sets the dimension of the data, since
we want a single number, we choose
Scalar.
File <prefix>_etmp_IV.rsf Sets the name of the file. The
<prefix> will get automatically filled
in by MOST.
Indices -1,1 Sets the matrix index of the data we
want. The first number is the row, the
second is the column. Numbering
starts at 0, and -1 is a shorthand for
the last item. So, -1,1 indicates the
last row and second column.

Figure 12: Built-in and user-defined Measurements.

With the complex modal effective index and the variables defined in the Symbol Table, we can
build the necessary metric function. For this tutorial we will use a Python metric. Python is a
programming language that can be used with MOST to write metric functions. The script used
for this tutorial is shown in Fig. 13.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  53

 Figure 13: Python Script.

The Python script response.py, shown in Fig. 13, loads some python libraries (lines 1-3),
defines the modulator_response function (line 5), reads in the measurements from MOST
(lines 8-21), loads some constants from the symbol table (lines 23-27), and then calculates the
modulator response (line 30). On the Metric tab, the defined metric uses the function
modulator_response from the file response.py.

Figure 14: Modulation response defined in Metrics.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  54

To start the scan, enter an Output Prefix and click OK. The modulation response result, shown in
Fig. 15a, agrees well with the published result shown in Fig. 15b.

Figure 15: Response of the modulator: a) Multi-Physics Utilities result, and b) published
result.

The IV curve which was computed by the User Measurement (Current) can also be viewed.

Figure 16: The computed IV curve.

Conclusion
In summary, silicon modulators based on current injection can be simulated by Multi-Physics
Utilities with carrier-optic effect. Carrier density, index change, and frequency response can be
obtained and optical mode with carrier effect can be calculated with the built-in BeamPROP

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  55

mode solver. The response of the modulator based on Mach-Zehnder interferometer can be
obtained by an analytical function.
Comparison with published results shows very reasonable agreement. Inaccurate device and
material parameters, especially doping levels can be a source of discrepancy between simulation
and experimental results.

References
1 Gui-Rong Zhou, et al, “Modeling and characterization of Mach-Zehnder silicon electro-optical
modulators,” Paper CFH2, CLEO 2008.

2 Gui-Rong Zhou, et al, “Effect of carrier lifetime on forward-biased silicon Mach-Zehnder

modulators,” Optics Express, Vol. 16, No. 8, pp. 5218-5226, April, 2008.

3 “Handbook of Optical Constants of Solids,” ed. E.D. Palik, Academic Press, Inc, New York, 1985.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  56

Tutorial 8: Electro-Absorption Modulator (EAM)
This example demonstrates the use of the Multi-Physics Utility to simulate an electro-absorption
modulator (EAM). These devices take advantage of the Quantum Confined Stark Effect (QCSE)
arising from the formation of excitons near the bandgap. The absorption change with applied
voltage at the exciton resonance can be very large, making it useful for designing high-speed
modulators. See Section 2.C.1 for details about modeling exciton effects in the Multi-Physics
Utility.
The associated file for this tutorial is located in the directory:
<rsoft_dir>\examples\Utilities\MultiPhysics\carrier

Structure Overview
Open the file algaas_eam.ind in the CAD interface.

Figure 1: CAD Layout of the AlGaAs ridge waveguide section with bias electrode on top of
the ridge, and ground electrodes on either side.

Note the following about the design:

 Structure
This structure is created using the built-in Multilayer structure type. It consists of a 3 x 2 µm
rib waveguide with a slab height of .5 µm with a cover material of Air. See Fig. 1.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  57

 Figure 2: Layer Table showing the epitaxial structure of the ridge. The off-ridge (or slab) will
have the same layers but will be truncated by the slab-height.

The device is a p-i-n structure where the intrinsic region contains a 94 Angstrom GaAs
quantum well with Al(0.3)Ga(0.7) SCH barriers. The n/p layers are Al(0.5)Ga(0.5)As, and
are shown in Fig. 2.
Note that an inactive segment has also been drawn to represent the slab. This is not necessary
for the BeamPROP part of the simulation, but is necessary when using the carrier-effects
portion of the Multi-Physics Utility.
 Materials
The materials appearing in the layer table (Fig. 2) have been defined using the Material
Editor in the CAD, as shown in Fig. 3. They are based on the built-in AlGaAs material and
the only modification from default values comes from the doping choice. Open the Material
Editor, choose one of the materials, move to the Semiconductors tab, and note the doping
concentration setting: Donors (cm-3) for n-type, and Acceptors (cm-3) for p-type. There are
additional materials defined for the quantum well and barrier layers. The barriers (or SCH
layers) are undoped, but otherwise identical to the other AlGaAs materials. The quantum
well is GaAs, undoped, and must be marked as Quantum Well. There are several symbols
that can be defined in the Edit Table of the quantum well of the Semiconductor tab to control
the material properties further:

Symbol Value Description

exciton_num_vsb 2 Sets the number of valence subbands of the quantum well
that will contribute to the exciton absorption. Formally,
all transitions contribute but due to the computation time
involved, we limit the number to only the first few. This

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  58

 will most likely be a problem-dependent choice. The
default value is 1.
exciton_num_csb unset Sets the number of conduction subbands participating.
(1)
The default value is 1.

Figure 3: Material Editor showing the Semiconductor settings for the GaAs QW.

 Electrodes
Three electrodes have been defined in this simulation, and are displayed as blue segments.
Note the geometry and position information for each electrode, and that the Index Profile
Type is set to Inactive. Furthermore, look in the Additional Segment Options and note that
the Electrode/Heater Type is set to Electrode, and the E/H Control Parameter is set to the
applied voltage (0 for the outer electrodes, and V for the inner electrode). For more
information on defining electrodes, see Section 2.B.

Setting the Multi-Physics Utility Parameters

Once the structure is defined, the Multi-Physics Utility must be configured. Choose the Multi-
Physics option from the CAD Utility menu to open the Multi-Physics Utility. Make sure the
Physical Effect is set to Carrier Effects. See Fig. 4. Notice that the value of Vmax is -1, and that
the text ‘V’ appears next to it. This indicates that the symbol V has been defined as the E/H
Control Parameter, in this case, for the electrode on the top of the ridge (which is p-type), and

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  59

that the device will operate in reverse bias. Note that operating this device in forward bias is not
supported.

Figure 4: The Multi-Physics Utility Dialog.

Click the Carrier Options button and note the settings shown in Fig. 5. For this tutorial, check
Enable Exciton Effects checkbox and click OK. `

Figure 5: The Carrier Options Dialog.

Now, when the transport simulation engine is called to determine the electronic transport,
exciton (many-body) effects will be included as part of the direct gap absorption. Note that since

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  60

Apply Index Perturbation is set to Default (Sim only), these effects will not be included in the
index profile calculations.

Running the Utility

Running the Multi-Physics Utility from the dialog will generate the standard outputs associated
with the carrier transport, such as CV, RV, and carrier density profiles, and also several
additional plots showing the exciton absorption at various Stark fields as well as the Stark field
in the quantum well as a function of applied voltage.

Figure 6: Electron (left) and Hole (right) densities at -1V.

Figure 7: Real (left) and Imaginary (right) index perturbations at -1V. These appear in the
quantum well layer, which exists only in the ridge (figures are zoomed in near the well).

Note the long initial delay when the simulation is first run. This is the exciton absorption
calculation. The data is stored in a subdirectory, called gain_tables, the first time through, so
that additional simulations will not incur this delay, at least until the structure of the quantum
well is changed.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  61

 Figure 8: Absorption (left) and index change (right) over the entire range of fields (0-150kV
by default). All field values in between those in the saved tables are interpolated. Note that
the absorption has been inverted here via the WinPLOT scale option, /sy-1.

Figure 9: Field values in the quantum well over the specified bias range (0 to -1V).

Performing a Simulation
The optical simulation will now be performed. Click the Compute Modes button on the let CAD
toolbar to open the Mode Calculation Parameters dialog. Note that the simulation domain and
grid sizes have been previously set and click OK to start the simulation. This will generate the
mode at -1V. Change the symbol V to -0.1 and rerun the mode calculation.
Because electrodes have been defined and the carrier effects have been enabled in the utility
(including exciton effects), the transport simulation engine will be invoked automatically to
determine the associated complex index perturbations, which will then be added to the refractive
index/loss profiles of the circuit prior each mode calculation.
The TE results are shown in Fig. 10. Note that the absorption is sensitive to polarization, so if the
TM results are requested, the exciton calculation will be re-run.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  62

 Figure 10: TE mode at -1V (left) and -0.1V (right).

As a final note, we recall from Tutorial 7 that the results for 0V bias are not the same as the
results without carrier effects enabled. In fact, they can be quite different, especially with exciton
effects, due to the built-in potential across a p-n junction.

Performing a Scan over Voltage

To calculate the modulator performance, for a fixed length of waveguide, open MOST via the
button in the left CAD toolbar and note that a scan has been set up over the variable V.

Figure 11: MOST Scan.

The scan will be over values from -1.0 to -0.1 with an increment of 0.1. Also, note that the
simulation tool has been set to BP Mode Solver since we will use BeamPROP to calculate the

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  63

modes. Note the active measurements on the Measurement Tab, are the real and imaginary parts
of the effective index for the fundamental mode.

Figure 12: MOST Measurements.

Click OK to start the scan. There may be an initial delay as the absorption is recalculated. This
will only happen for the first scan point. The remaining scan points will use the absorption data
that has already been calculated. The scan results are shown in Fig. 13.

Figure 13: MOST results showing the real (left) and o\imaginary (right) parts of the effective
index as a function of applied voltage.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  64

Appendix A

Tips and Traps

This appendix contains some advice on good habits and sources of confusion for novices and
experienced Multi-Physics Utility users alike.

A.A. Common Multi-Physics mistakes

 Attempting to use the Multi-Physics Utility without defining required material properties
It is necessary to define the relevant material properties when using the Multi-Physics Utility.
For example, you need to define Thermo-optic coefficients for the materials used when using
the Thermo-Optic Effect.

A.B. Some Good Multi-Physics habits to learn

 Use the Compute Material Profile option frequently.
When setting up a structure, it is easy to make mistakes with geometry and refractive index
information. Many apparently bizarre results are simply the result of simulating the wrong
structure.
 Learn how to use the command line utilities included with Multi-Physics Utility
Since post-processing with these tools can be automated, you can achieve a lot of tedious
work by writing a single command. You may even find uses for these utilities in your other
work. These utilities are documented in the appendices of the CAD manual.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  65

 Read the WinPLOT manual.
WinPLOT’s rather terse command syntax can be daunting at first but allows complex
plotting features to be described quickly in just a few lines. Being able to quickly launch
plots with old command files from the command line can be a huge time saver.
 Use color scales to produce attractive plots.
WinPLOT is capable of producing many types of plots beyond the standard output usually
displayed. Color scale files can be found in the installation directory, and are used to change
the default scale used when displaying contour plots. These files are easy to create, and
provide a quick way to customize the display of data for presentation purposes.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  66

Appendix B

Release Notes

This appendix summarizes the changes from previous versions of the Multi-Physics Utility.

Version 2015.06
The release notes for this version can be found here:
<rsoft_dir>\readme\releasenotes

Version 2014.09
 With this release, the RSoft Component Suite will no longer officially support 32-bit
operating systems, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 4. If
you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
 A new Configure Licensing utility (Windows only) provides an easy way to reconfigure
licensing options. This includes installing a new license key file and restarting SCL. This
option can be opened from the Start Menu and requires administrative rights.
 Several improvements to SCL licensing implementation.
 Updated Linux installation routine.
 Included a new capability to simulate Electro-Absorption Modulators.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  67

Version 2013.12
 All products in RSoft’s Component Design Suite have been increased to version 2013.12
which is the Synopsys standard.
 Updating Licensing to use Synopsys Common Licensing (SCL).
 Linux version of Carrier Effects option.
 Electrode grouping feature can be used when using Carrier Effects in the Multi-Physics
Utility.
 The Multi-Physics Utility domain is now used for Carrier Effects simulations.
 Added support for complex index profile perturbations.
 Added several new outputs for Carrier Effects simulations such as Carrier Density, L-V, R-
V, and C-V plots.
 Added option to enable the output of all plots when using the Multi-Physics Utility as a part
of an optical simulation.
 Added option to generate the frequency response for Carrier Effects simulations.
 Added ability to import doping profiles for Carrier Effects simulations.

Changes in Previous Versions

 Previous versions of this utility were documented in the RSoft CAD and BeamPROP
manuals. Consult those manuals for the changelog for previous versions.

Multi-Physics Utility 2015.06  68

 D O
DC Dielectric Constant, 21, 24 OK, 22, 25, 26, 29, 30, 33, 36, 41,
Default (Sim only), 36, 41, 46, 58 48, 58, 61, 62
Dirichlet, 12 Output All Plots, 12
Display Material Profile, 12, 21, 24, Output All Plots., 46
28, 32, 35 Output Prefix, 12, 22, 25, 29, 33, 36,

Index Domain Max, 12

Domain Min, 12
Donors (cm-3), 44, 56
dV/V, 12
P
41

Perform Simulation, 26
E Physical Effect, 12, 22, 25, 29, 33,
36, 41, 46, 58
E/H Control Parameter, 10, 21, 24, polarization, 36
28, 40, 56, 58 profile type, 10
Edit Table, 56
Edit Table…, 12
electrode, 21, 24, 40, 56
Q
Electrode Group, 12 Quantum Well, 56
Electrode/Heater Type, 10, 21, 24,
28, 40, 56
Electro-Optic, 22, 25 R
Electro-Optic Coefficients, 21, 24 Run Frequency Response, 12, 46
Enable Complex Perturbation, 12
# Enable Exciton Effects, 12, 58
S
# Time Steps, 12
# Voltage Steps, 12 F Save Settings, 36
Sim only, 12
Floating, 12 Strain, 12
( Frequency Response, 12 Stress Parameters, 32, 35
(N/A), 12 Stress-Optic, 33, 36
I
A Inactive, 10, 21, 24, 28, 40, 56 T
Index (real), 21, 24, 28, 32, 35 TE, 36
Acceleration, 12 Index Profile Type, 21, 24, 28, 40, 56
Acceptors (cm-3), 44, 56 Temperature, 12, 28
Iterations, 12 Temperature Change, 12, 33
Always (Sim and Prof), 12
Apply Index Perturbation, 12, 36, 41, Thermal Conductivity, 28
46, 48, 58 L Thermo-Optic, 29
Thermo-Optic Coefficient, 28
Launch MOST, 26, 30, 36 Time Step, 12
B Longitudinal Strain, 12 TM, 36
Tolerance, 12
B.C. Use Slab, 12
M Type, 24

C Material Property, 21, 24, 28, 32, 35

U
Measurements, 50
Cancel, 36 More…, 10 User Simulator, 36
Carrier Effects, 46, 58 MPH & Optical Sim, 12
Carrier Options, 12 MPH Sim Only, 12
Carrier-Effects, 41 V
Component Height, 10
Component Width, 10 N Value, 12
Compute Modes, 36, 42, 48, 61 Vmax, 12, 58
Neumann, 12 Vmin, 12
Computed Mode, 24
Never, 12, 36 Voltage, 12
X
X Grid Size, 12

Y
Y Grid Size, 12

Z
Z Position, 12