Lumerical BFAST Delivers Broadband Arbitrary Angle Capabilities for Periodic Devices
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Lumerical BFAST Delivers Broadband Arbitrary Angle Capabilities for Periodic Devices
For many applications dependent upon interaction with varying, broadband light sources, such as solar cells, CMOS image sensors or thermal sensors, device performance can be critically dependent on the illumination condition – the intensity, angle and frequency of light incident upon the device. Designers rely on simulation tools to gain insight into the complex light-matter interactions that govern device performance and to optimize operating characteristics over a broad range of frequencies and illumination angles. Many photonic design tools are not well suited to simulating non-normal illumination conditions due to restrictions in the conventional simulation boundary conditions. These restrictions pose challenges for device designers in regards to both speed and accuracy of simulation. This document discusses some of these simulation challenges, and introduces Lumerical’s Broadband Fixed Angle Source Technique, BFAST, which is specifically formulated to remove the wavelength to incident angle relationship in simulations of periodic photonic devices.
