Photonic mode solver with a simple interface.
modesolverpy
Photonic mode solver with a nice interface and output.- semi-vectorial and fully vectorial options,
- simple structure drawing,
- automated data saving and plotting via Gnuplot,
- some limited (at this stage) data processing (finding MFD of fundamental mode), and
- easily extensible library
Examples
- Ex1: Semi-vectorial mode solving of a ridge waveguide
- Ex2: Fully vectorial mode solving of an anisotropic material waveguide
- Ex3: Grating-coupler period
- Ex4: Mode Hybridisation In SOI
- Ex6: Directional Coupler 3dB Length In SOI
Example 1: Semi-vectorial mode solving of a ridge waveguide
The following example finds the first two modes of a waveguide with the following, arbitrary, parameters:- thin-film thickness: 500nm
- waveguide height: 400nm,
- waveguide width: 500nm,
- refractive index of waveguide: 3,
- refractive index of substrate: 1.4,
- refractive index of cladding: 1, and
- wavelength: 1550nm.
Python script
import modesolverpy.mode_solver as ms
import modesolverpy.structure as st
import numpy as np
All units are relative. [um] were chosen in this case.
x_step = 0.02
y_step = 0.02
wg_height = 0.4
wg_width = 0.5
sub_height = 0.5
sub_width = 2.
clad_height = 0.5
n_sub = 1.4
n_wg = 3.
n_clad = 1.
film_thickness = 0.5
wavelength = 1.55
angle = 75.
structure = st.RidgeWaveguide(wavelength, x_step, y_step, wg_height, wg_width, sub_height, sub_width, clad_height, n_sub, n_wg, angle, n_clad, film_thickness)
structure.writetofile('examplestructure1.dat')
modesolver = ms.ModeSolverSemiVectorial(2, semivectorial_method='Ey') mode_solver.solve(structure) modesolver.writemodestofile('examplemodes1.dat')
Structure
Modes
Example 2: Fully vectorial mode solving of an anisotropic material waveguide
The following looks at a contrived ridge waveguide in Z-cut KTP.The simulation outputs:
- 5 plots for each refractive index axis (nxx, nxy, nyx, nyy and n_zz),
- 48 plots for Ex, Ey, Ez, Hx, Hy and Hz,
- 8 effective index values, one for each mode,
- a wavelength sweep of the waveguide (plotting n_eff vs wavelength for each mode),
- whether a mode is qTE or qTM and the percentage overlap with TE and TM, and
- the group velocity of the mode.
- thin-film thickness: 1.2um,
- waveguide height: 800nm,
- waveguide width: 1.2um,
- refractive index of waveguide: used Sellmeier equations to get nxx, nyy, n_zz at 1550nm,
- refractive index of substrate: used Sellmeier equation to get SiO2 at 1550nm,
- refractive index of cladding: 1, and
- wavelength: 1550nm.
Python script
import modesolverpy.mode_solver as ms import modesolverpy.structure as st import opticalmaterialspy as mat import numpy as np
wl = 1.55 x_step = 0.06 y_step = 0.06 wg_height = 0.8 wg_width = 1.8 sub_height = 1.0 sub_width = 4. clad_height = 1.0 film_thickness = 1.2 angle = 60.
def structfunc(nsub, nwg, nclad): return st.RidgeWaveguide(wl, xstep, ystep, wgheight, wgwidth, subheight, subwidth, clad_height, nsub, nwg, angle, nclad, filmthickness)
n_sub = mat.SiO2().n(wl) nwgxx = mat.Ktp('x').n(wl) nwgyy = mat.Ktp('y').n(wl) nwgzz = mat.Ktp('z').n(wl) n_clad = mat.Air().n()
structxx = structfunc(nsub, nwgxx, nclad) structyy = structfunc(nsub, nwgyy, nclad) structzz = structfunc(nsub, nwgzz, nclad)
structani = st.StructureAni(structxx, structyy, structzz) structani.writeto_file()
solver = ms.ModeSolverFullyVectorial(8) solver.solve(struct_ani) solver.writemodesto_file()
solver.solveng(structani, 1.55, 0.01)
solver.solvesweepwavelength(struct_ani, np.linspace(1.501, 1.60, 21))
Group Velocity
The group velocity at 1550nm for each mode is:# modesfullvec/ng.dat
Mode idx, Group index
0,1.776
1,1.799
2,1.826
3,1.847
4,1.841
5,1.882
6,1.872
7,1.871
Structure
Modes
Only the first 4 (out of 8) modes are shown, and only the E-fields are shown (not H-fields). For the rest of the images, look in the example folder or run the script.A_{x,y,z} give the percentage power of that particular E-field component with respect to the total of all components.
Mode types:
# modesfullvec/mode_info Mode idx, Mode type, % in major direction, n_eff
0,qTE,97.39,1.643 1,qTM,92.54,1.640 2,qTE,90.60,1.576 3,qTM,91.41,1.571 4,qTE,89.48,1.497 5,qTM,86.70,1.475 6,qTE,89.47,1.447 7,qTM,68.35,1.437
Wavelength Sweep
Example 3: Grating-coupler period
Analytic calculation of the grating coupler period for various duty-cycles in SOI.Seems to match well with the periods in Taillaert et al., Grating Couplers for Coupling between Optical Fibers and Nanophotonic Waveguides_, IOP Science, 2006.
import modesolverpy.mode_solver as ms
import modesolverpy.structure as st
import modesolverpy.design as de
import opticalmaterialspy as mat
import numpy as np
wls = [1.5, 1.55, 1.6] x_step = 0.05 y_step = 0.05 etch_depth = 0.07 wg_width = 10 sub_height = 0.5 sub_width = 14. clad_height = 0.5 film_thickness = 0.22 polarisation = 'TE' dcs = np.linspace(20, 80, 61) / 100
ed1 = etch_depth ft1 = film_thickness ed2 = ft1 - ed1 ft2 = ed2
periods = [] periods.append(dcs)
for wl in wls: ngc = [] for ed, ft in [(ed1, ft1), (ed2, ft2)]: def structfunc(nsub, nwg, nclad): return st.RidgeWaveguide(wl, xstep, ystep, ed, wg_width, subheight, subwidth, clad_height, nsub, nwg, None, n_clad, ft)
n_sub = mat.SiO2().n(wl) nwgxx = 3.46 nwgyy = 3.46 nwgzz = 3.46 n_clad = mat.Air().n()
structxx = structfunc(nsub, nwgxx, nclad) structyy = structfunc(nsub, nwgyy, nclad) structzz = structfunc(nsub, nwgzz, nclad)
structani = st.StructureAni(structxx, structyy, structzz) #structani.writeto_file()
solver = ms.ModeSolverFullyVectorial(4) solver.solve(struct_ani) #solver.writemodesto_file()
if polarisation == 'TE': ngc.append(np.round(np.real(solver.neffste), 4)[0]) elif polarisation == 'TM': ngc.append(np.round(np.real(solver.neffstm), 4)[0])
period = de.gratingcouplerperiod(wl, dcsngc[0]+(1-dcs)ngc[1], n_clad, 8, 1) periods.append(period)
filename = 'dc-sweep-%s-%inm-etch-%i-film.dat' % (polarisation, etchdepth1000, filmthickness1000) np.savetxt(filename, np.array(periods).T, delimiter=',', header=','.join([str(val) for val in wls])) print(np.c_[periods])

Example 4: Mode Hybridisation In SOI
Simulation of mode hybridisation in 220nm thick fully-etched SOI ridge waveguides.Results look the same as those found in Daoxin Dai and Ming Zhang, "Mode hybridization and conversion in silicon-on-insulator nanowires with angled sidewalls," Opt. Express 23, 32452-32464 (2015).
import modesolverpy.mode_solver as ms
import modesolverpy.structure as st
import opticalmaterialspy as mat
import numpy as np
wl = 1.55 x_step = 0.02 y_step = 0.02 etch_depth = 0.22 wg_widths = np.arange(0.3, 2., 0.05) sub_height = 1. sub_width = 4. clad_height = 1. film_thickness = 0.22
n_sub = mat.SiO2().n(wl) n_clad = mat.Air().n(wl) n_wg = mat.RefractiveIndexWeb( 'https://refractiveindex.info/?shelf=main&book=Si&page=Li-293K').n(wl)
r = [] for w in wg_widths: r.append( st.RidgeWaveguide(wl, xstep, ystep, etchdepth, w, subheight, subwidth, cladheight, nsub, nwg, None, n_clad, film_thickness))
r[0].writetofile('startnprofile.dat') r[-1].writetofile('endnprofile.dat')
solver = ms.ModeSolverFullyVectorial(6) solver.solvesweepstructure(r, wgwidths, xlabel='Taper width', fractionmodelist=[1,2]) solver.writemodesto_file()

Example 5: Directional Coupler 3dB Length In SOI
Analytic calculation of 3dB coupling length into two parallel SOI waveguides with a varying gap at 3 different TE wavelengths.An example refractive index profile for the two waveguides spaced 200nm is shown.
import modesolverpy.mode_solver as ms
import modesolverpy.structure as st
import modesolverpy.design as de
import opticalmaterialspy as mat
import numpy as np
import tqdm
wls = [1.5, 1.55, 1.6] x_step = 0.02 y_step = 0.02 etch_depth = 0.22 wg_width = 0.44 sub_height = 0.5 sub_width = 2. clad_height = 0.5 film_thickness = 0.22 gaps = np.linspace(0.1, 0.5, 11)
for wl in wls: lengths = []
n_sub = mat.SiO2().n(wl) n_clad = mat.Air().n(wl) n_wg = 3.476
for gap in tqdm.tqdm(gaps): r = st.WgArray(wl, xstep, ystep, etchdepth, [wgwidth, wg_width], gap, subheight, subwidth, cladheight, nsub, n_wg, None) #r.writetofile()
solver = ms.ModeSolverFullyVectorial(2) solver.solve(r) n1 = solver.neffste[0] n2 = solver.neffste[1] lengths.append(de.directionalcouplerlc(wl*1000, n1, n2)/2)
filename = 'dc-sweep-%inm-%s-%inm-etch-%i-film.dat' % (wl1000, 'TE', etchdepth1000, filmthickness*1000) np.savetxt(filename, np.c_[gaps, lengths], delimiter=',', header='Coupling lengths (50\%)')

Installation
It is recommend to installmodesolverpy either via:
Ubuntu/Mint/Debian:
pip3 install modesolverpy # or pip2 install modesolverpy
apt install gnuplot
Arch Linux:
yaourt -S python-modesolverpy
Dependencies
If installing using the Arch Linux AUR package orpip, dependencies will be automatically downloaded and installed, if not, one should ensure the following dependencies are installed:
Either Gnuplot or Matplotlib can be used for plotting; I am a Gnuplot user to the code was written with it in mind. If both Gnuplot and Matplotlib are installed, the code will default to Gnuplot.
- setuptools,
- numpy,
- scipy,
- tqdm, and
- opticalmaterialspy.
Plotting
EITHER: OR:Acknowledgments
This finite difference mode solver is based on a modified version of EMpy.Thank you to Inna Krasnokutska for testing.