Report on Current Developments in Photonic Integrated Circuits and AI-Driven Design

General Direction of the Field

The recent advancements in the field of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and AI-driven design are significantly reshaping the landscape, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in both hardware and software domains. The field is moving towards more automated, intelligent, and fabrication-aware design processes, driven by the need for scalability, efficiency, and performance optimization in complex systems.

Automated Design and Routing: There is a strong emphasis on developing automated tools that can handle the intricate details of PIC design, particularly in routing waveguides. Traditional manual methods are being replaced by grid-based, curvy-aware algorithms that can generate design-rule-violation-free layouts with reduced insertion loss. These tools are essential for managing the increasing complexity of large-scale PICs, especially in photonic computing and interconnects.

AI-Driven Topology Search: The integration of AI into the design of photonic tensor cores (PTCs) is enabling the exploration of Pareto-optimal solutions in a fraction of the time it takes with traditional methods. Zero-shot evolutionary search frameworks are emerging as powerful tools for co-optimizing multiple objectives while adhering to complex hardware constraints. This approach not only speeds up the design process but also leads to more efficient and accurate PTCs, crucial for optical AI accelerators.

AI in Freeform Optics and CAD: The application of AI in freeform optics design is revolutionizing the way optical systems are conceived and optimized. AI techniques are enhancing design efficiency, expanding the design space, and improving performance prediction. Similarly, in computer-aided design (CAD), generative AI is poised to transform the engineering design process by restructuring the interaction between humans, computers, and designs. The vision of Intelligent CAD 2.0 (ICAD 2.0) envisions AI assuming an intensional role in the design process, offering a new framework for future advancements.

Fabrication-Aware Inverse Design: A critical development is the integration of fabrication-aware considerations into inverse design methods. This approach ensures that the optimal device geometries generated by computational methods are robust to the fabrication process, thereby enhancing the practical applicability of these designs in scalable silicon photonics.

Noteworthy Innovations

• Automated Curvy Waveguide Routing: The introduction of an open-source tool for automated PIC routing, featuring a grid-based A* engine tailored to PIC-specific constraints, represents a significant leap in EPDA tools.
• Zero-Shot Topology Search: The ADEPT-Z framework for zero-shot multi-objective evolutionary topology search in PTC design offers a 100x speedup over gradient-based methods, leading to more efficient and accurate designs.
• Fabrication-Aware Inverse Design: The integration of lithography models into inverse design for shape optimization demonstrates a practical solution to performance degradation in silicon photonics fabrication.

These innovations are paving the way for future advancements in the field, making it possible to design and fabricate complex photonic systems with greater efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.