Process Variation-Aware Compact Model of Strip Waveguides for Photonic Circuit Simulation

Abstract

We report a novel process variation-aware compact model of strip waveguides that is suitable for circuit-level simulation of waveguide-based process design kit (PDK) elements. The model is shown to describe both loss and - using a novel expression for the thermo-optic effect in high index contrast materials - the thermo-optic behavior of strip waveguides. A novel group extraction method enables modeling the effective index's (neff) sensitivity to local process variations without the presumption of variation source. Use of Euler-bend Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) fabricated in a 300 mm wafer run allow model parameter extraction at widths up to 2.5 μm (highly multi-mode) with strong suppression of higher-order mode excitation. Experimental results prove the reported model can self-consistently describe waveguide phase, loss, and thermo-optic behavior across all measured devices over an unprecedented range of optical bandwidth, waveguide widths, and temperatures.