PhD thesis (CIFRE): characterization and modeling of photonic devices

Corbeil-Essonnes, France

X-FAB is looking for a PhD student with a willingness to learn and to be embarked on doctorate on most innovative and diverse Silicon photonics technologies to join our Process Characterization team, based in Corbeil-Essonnes, France, but working as part of an international organization developing mixed signal CMOS, Photonics and MEMS technologies.

PhD Offer Description:

As photonic integrated circuits become increasingly complex, the challenge of getting the first-time right design relies heavily on accurate modeling of photonic component and on the experience of photonics IC designers. Nowadays, many products are already available in the market and many components start to be integrated in one chip and have been widely deployed in the field. However, there are still using PDKs (Process Design Kits) at rudimentary stage of maturity and the existing large-scale photonic circuits still very sensitive and still suffer from the accuracy of models of single elements and from the concatenation and the connectivity of those elements.

Our project aims at characterizing and modeling of the most relevant features of device level integrated photonic components (waveguides, modulators, detectors, etc.) that will help making more accurate and more robust circuit design. The project aims to investigate photonic state of the art methods of (passive and active) characterization and modeling and identify suitable compact models that can be used, improved, and developed based on the most advanced techniques and the well-established and well-known methods from the existing microelectronic industry. This will lead to validation of our integrated devices, waveguides, modulators, and detectors, in terms of electrical and optical behaviors for which we need more than ever to also include thermal, variability and parasitic effects as well. One way of addressing this matter is to use a consistent modeling and simulation framework that allows for the description of photonic devices from different modeling disciplines (e,g., numerical, analytical, etc.) and for the description of interactions between these devices.

Nowadays, large companies like cadence, synopsis, siemens and mentor graphics are trying to integrate more and more modeling approaches in their Photonics Device Modelling Toolsets. Most of the proposed models are based on physical representations (e.g., analytical propagation model for waveguide, etc.) and on behavioral representations (e.g., electro-optic transfer function of the modulator, driver response, etc).

Our research project might shed light on the best methodologies/approaches that we can adopt and improve for the development of our models and their extraction from on-wafer measurements using characterization methods that will be developed during this project (e.g., S-Matrix measurements (passives), L-I, Linewidth, etc) in our characterization laboratories.

Since the project focuses on different photonic devices, our results might foster knowledge that could be easily translated in demonstrator/circuit designs.

Candidate Profile :

Master’s degree or equivalent in photonics/electronics/microelectronics/physics engineering, or equivalent discipline.
Experience in laboratory (electronics, optics, and photonics), solid state physics, photonics, theoretical physics, analytical and numerical calculations, presentation of results, teamwork.
Willingnesstolearn and to be embarked on doctorate on most innovative and diverse Silicon photonics technologies/devices.
Good communication skills in English and abilitytowork on a multidisciplinaryenvironment.
The candidate should have a highmotivation, excellent interpersonal, time and stress management, and excellent verbal and written French and Englishcommunicationskills.

Contact person : Rymaine Guerra

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