Software Providers: Simulations and layout Design tools
This section is dedicated to the offers provided by Software.
To access the Foundry PDK or acquire a license, please contact your Software providers directly (see contact details below).
All indicated prices exclude VAT (Value-added-tax) and the delivery.



LUCEDA PHOTONICS: SIMULATION AND LAYOUT
Luceda Photonics provides design tools and services to the integrated photonics industry. IPKISS.flow is an integrated photonics design tool that provides a PDK (design library) for Smart Photonics and HHI. The PDK for Lionix is in the planning. It also links to other tools in the design eco-system such as VPI.
Product | Product ID | Price, EUR | Description |
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IPKISS.flow | IPKISS-IND | 2500 | IPKISS.flow for Commercial Organisations: 3 months license is valid only for the first tape-out |
IPKISS.flow | IPKISS-RSCH | 1250 | IPKISS.flow for Research Institutes: 3 months license valid only for the first tape-out |
IPKISS.flow | IPKISS-UNI | 1250 | IPKISS.flow for Universities: 1 year license is available under conditions of a proper reference to IPKISS in the publications |
Prices of all three options include customer support.
Contact Luceda Photonics Team: https://support.lucedaphotonics.com/

Ansys / Lumerical: simulation
Ansys / Lumerical’s component design products use multiphysics-style simulation workflows to model optical, electrical and thermal effects at the physical level. Using INTERCONNECT you can easily create your project in our hierarchical schematic editor, you can use our extensive library of primitive elements, as well as foundry-specific PDK elements, to perform analysis in the time or frequency domain.
Product | Product ID | Price, EUR | Description |
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INTERCONNECT BUNDLE | JPXB | 1000 | Ansys / Lumerical’s photonic integrated circuit simulator verifies multimode, bidirection, and multichannel PICs. Bundle includes licences for INTERCONNECT and either the HHI or SMART CML Reader. Licences are valid for 3 months. |
Contact your foundry for the PDK release

Nazca Design: LAYOUT design
Nazca is an open-source photonic IC design software tool released under open source license AGPLv3. Instead, foundry specific PDKs (the technology description) provided by Bright Photonics contains foundry intellectual property. Hence, these PDKs are under copyright and a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the foundry and Bright Photonics.
Installation instructions and tutorials
The links below provide you with instructions on installing Nazca Design and getting started with the software, as well as a full manual on the software tool.
Nazca Design also offers several tutorials for free that you can work through to get acquainted with the software.
- Installation: https://nazca-design.org/installation
- Getting started: https://nazca-design.org/manual/getting_started.html
- Full documentation: https://nazca-design.org/manual
- Tutorials: https://nazca-design.org/tutorials
Product | Price, EUR | Description |
---|---|---|
Nazca Design | 0 | Open source software available for download https://nazca-design.org. |
PDK | 395 | 1 year access to a foundry PDK (the offer is valid for your entity under the JePPIX NDA). This offer includes 1 “Submission Unit”. |
Submission Unit (SU) | 195 | A “submission” fee that is needed for each submitted MPW cell. |
Mask Review | 495 | Mask review on technical design mistakes. Bright Photonics (creator of Nazca) reports where your mask can/has to be improved. The offer includes two iterations, does not include layout support. |
Layout Support | 1595 | Layout support by Bright Photonics (creator of Nazca) includes (for 1 MPW cell): custom support in using Nazca for your specific layout implementation; custom support in using PDK and Foundry BBs; custom support in using package templates; Mask Review. |
Prices for Nazca PDK and design support, where applicable, are the same for new and recurring users. Products by Nazca can be acquired directly from the Nazca Website.
Contact Nazca: Nazca@brightphotonics.eu

Photon design: simulation
PICWave is a photonic circuit (PIC) design tool which brings together:
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an advanced laser diode and SOA model,
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a powerful photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design and simulation tool,
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a flexible design flow environment.
Product | Product ID | Price, EUR | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PicWave | PicWave DKE | 530 | One-time intro offer. The bundle license validity is 3 months |
PicWave | PicWave DKE standard | 1400 | The bundle license validity is 3 months |
Contact Photon Design Team: adsupport@photond.com

synopsys: simulation and layout
Synopsys’ PIC Design Suite – photonic integrated circuit design software that includes the OptSim Circuit and OptoDesigner tools – offers a seamless PIC design flow from concept to manufacturable design, as well as access to a single, world-class support channel.
Product | Product ID | Price, EUR | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PIC Design Suite | D264-0 | 1150 | Synopsys PIC Design Tools: Advanced Circuit Simulator, Photonic Chip and Mask layout, Process flow visualisation, Photonic Propagation Simulations, Photonic Mode Simulations, Partner Interfaces, Training (4h online web-based software training) |
Synopsys provides software evaluations free of charge for 30 days. The MPW offering is a three month license (one time offer).
Contact Synopsys Team: photonics_support@synopsys.com

VPIPhotonics: simulation
VPIcomponentMaker™ Photonic Circuits enables circuit-level simulation of photonic integrated circuits to design, optimize and validate performance parameters, perform tolerance analysis, and compare different technology/structural options. It can be combined with access to the HHI PDK, LIONIX PDK and SMART PDK via pluggable toolkits. VPImodeDesigner™ enables as scriptable Python-based mode solver the derivation of parametric information of the passive characteristics for custom building blocks.
Product | Product ID | Price, EUR | Description |
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VPIcomponentMaker Photonic Circuits & one PDK | VPI-Je-CMP-1 | 830 | VPIcomponentMaker Photonic Circuits with access to one PDK (HHI, LioniX or SMART) |
VPIcomponentMaker Photonic Circuits & two PDKs | VPI-Je-CMP-2 | 1110 | VPIcomponentMaker Photonic Circuits with access to two PDKs (HHI, LioniX and/or SMART) |
VPIcomponentMaker Photonic Circuits& three PDKs | VPI-Je-CMP-3 | 1350 | VPIcomponentMaker Photonic Circuits with access to three PDKs (HHI, LioniX and SMART) |
VPImodeDesigner | VPI-Je-MD | 600 | VPImodeDesigner |
VPI bundle | VPI-Je-Bundle (CMP-3 + MD) | 1500 | VPIcomponentMaker Photonic Circuits with access to 3 PDKs and VPImodeDesigner |
One time offer: this trial version is valid for 3 months. Once expired, the full license should be acquired.
Contact VPIphotonics Team: support@vpiphotonics.com