Release notes Luceda Photonics Design Platform 2025.03.0

Welcome to the Luceda Photonics Design Platform 2025.03.0 release!

Discover the key highlights:

  • Official macOS support - This update marks an important milestone as we introduce official macOS support, empowering Apple users to run Luceda’s tools natively.

  • Luceda Circuit Analyzer - A powerful new tool for Corner Analysis, Monte Carlo Analysis, and layout-aware simulations based on wafer maps. It also helps debug PIC circuits by visualizing light propagation.

  • New Luceda Control Center - A sleeker, more intuitive interface for an improved user experience.

  • Performance improvements - Optimizations across the entire codebase for better stability and speed.

  • New tutorials - Learn faster with new guides and tutorials designed to help you make the most of the Luceda Photonics Design Platform.

For a full list of features, improvements, and bug fixes, please consult the changelog.

MacOS Support

Luceda is now officially supported on macOS! Users can install and run Luceda tools natively on macOS, bringing the same powerful photonic design capabilities to Apple devices (Apple Silicon only, starting with the M1 series).

Running Luceda tools on macOS.

Running Luceda tools on macOS.

The following Luceda products are supported on macOS:

  • Luceda IPKISS (includes all you love and use on a daily basis!)

  • Luceda AWG Designer

  • Luceda IP Manager

  • Luceda Link for Tidy3D

The following Luceda Links are not supported on macOS, as they integrate with third-party software that does not offer macOS support:

  • Link for Ansys Lumerical

  • Link for Dassault Systèmes Simulia

  • Link for Siemens EDA

  • Link for Check Mate DRC

Luceda Circuit Analyzer

Luceda Circuit Analyzer is a powerful new addition to the Luceda Photonics Design Platform, offering advanced tools for analyzing photonic integrated circuits (PICs).

Just as electronic designers use techniques like Corner Analysis and Monte Carlo Analysis to assess worst- and best-case scenarios, estimate yield, and evaluate design tolerances, Circuit Analyzer brings these capabilities to PIC designers. Built on the powerful IPKISS Caphe circuit simulator, it integrates layout, schematics, and compact models to provide deeper insights into circuit performance.

For example, Circuit Analyzer allows designers to run Corner Analysis or Monte Carlo Analysis directly from schematics in IPKISS Canvas to estimate minimum and maximum deviations from the designed directional coupler’s coupling coefficients:

Corner Analysis: min/max coupling deviation and the impact on the MZI Lattice filter.

Corner Analysis: min/max coupling deviation and the impact on the MZI Lattice filter.

With the Tracer functionality, designers can visualize light propagation through a chip, making it easier to identify critical components and estimate optical losses.

Visualize the flow of light to better understand your PIC and identify critical components.

Visualize the flow of light to better understand your PIC and identify critical components.

As another example, users can also perform Monte Carlo analysis directly from a layout (for instance, an optical switch). This way, designers can visualize and analyzer the impact of a set of assumptions (for instance, the power imbalance on couplers or crossing crosstalk) on the switch extinction ratio.

Running Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the impact of power imbalance and crossing crosstalk on the extinction ratio of an optical switch.

Running Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the impact of power imbalance and crossing crosstalk on the extinction ratio of an optical switch.

New Luceda Control Center

We’ve redesigned the Luceda Control Center (LCC), your central hub to create PIC designs. With a sleek, modern look, improved stability, and better performance, the new LCC reflects our commitment to a more visual, intuitive experience across our whole platform.

Home page of the redesigned Luceda Control Center.

Home page of the redesigned Luceda Control Center.

This update also brings new features:

  • Drag-and-drop support for installing design kits and licenses.

  • Quick access to Design Kits documentation - open it instantly from the Design Kits tab after loading a Design Kit in the LCC.

Drag-and-drop of Luceda Design Kits and Luceda licenses into the Luceda Control Center.

Drag-and-drop of Luceda Design Kits and Luceda licenses into the Luceda Control Center.

Opening design kits documentation directly from the Luceda Control Center.

Opening design kits documentation directly from the Luceda Control Center.

Try it out and let us know what you think!

Performance Improvements

We’ve spent time optimizing our code base to enhance both stability and performance in IPKISS. These improvements are especially noticeable when visualizing circuits using the .visualize method, and exporting designs to GDS using .write_gdsii:

  • visualization is now 1.4x faster for small designs.

  • GDS export is now 1.4x faster for large designs.

You can find a full list of all the performance improvements in the changelog.

Luceda Academy Improvements

This release introduces the following new tutorials and examples:

  • Connectors, trace templates and waveguides: Learn how to leverage connectors, trace templates and waveguides in IPKISS to efficiently create your circuit in a flexible and parametric way. Explore the new tutorial here: Connectors, trace templates and waveguides.

  • Smart directional couplers with parametric models: Learn how to use Luceda to optimize the design of directional couplers and implement parametric circuit models. Explore the new tutorial here: Designing Smarter Directional Couplers with Parametric Models.

  • Grating coupler simulation: Discover how to perform a physical simulation of a grating coupler using Luceda Link for a third-party device simulation tool, in this case, Tidy3D. Explore the new tutorial here: Grating Coupler Simulation.