Luceda Photonics IPKISS Design Suite 2026.03: PIC Design Platform

IPKISS 2026.03 is Luceda Photonics’ latest release of its Python-based design platform for photonic integrated circuits (PICs), introducing a native DRC engine, advanced dummy filling, SPICE-based circuit simulation, and improved visual placement & routing assistance .

Key New Features in 2026.03

Luceda DRC (Native Design Rule Check)

A new native DRC engine integrated directly into the platform, designed to verify PIC layouts for foundry compliance during the design phase rather than at tape-out .

  • Integrated Workflows: Run checks directly within the Layout Visualizer for immediate feedback, or use Python scripting for automated GDSII-based regression testing .

  • Rule & Cell Selection: Filter by rule groups (metal layers, density, acute angles) and run checks on the full design or specific subcells for faster targeted verification .

  • Multi-threaded Execution: Speeds up checks on large-scale layouts while maintaining control over system resources .

  • Standardized Output: Generates .lyrdb marker files for inspection in tools like KLayout .

Advanced Dummy Filling (i3.Filler)

Enhanced dummy filling functionality provides greater flexibility for tape-out preparation .

  • Simultaneous Multi-Layer Support: Perform dummy filling on different layers simultaneously with independent settings per layer .

  • Secondary Fill Step: Execute a secondary dummy fill on an already-filled layout using different settings or geometries .

  • Dual Application: Apply to IPKISS Layout views during design (i3.dummy_fill_layout) or post-process existing GDSII files (i3.dummy_fill_gdsii) .

SPICE-Based Circuit Simulation

IPKISS now supports exporting SPICE netlists that can be loaded directly into the Caphe circuit simulator .

  • Reproducible Input: Rerun simulations from a SPICE file without rebuilding the circuit in IPKISS code .

  • Decoupled Runtime: SPICE-based simulation runs independently from the IPKISS runtime .

  • What-If Analysis: Modify netlist parameters (e.g., bias voltages) after export for sweeps and simulations .

  • EDA Interoperability: SPICE is a standard EDA format, enabling better integration with other tools .

Visual P&R Assistance

Enhanced visibility into component connections in PIC layouts. Connectors are now clearly identified by icons in the Layout Visualizer; clicking an icon allows interactive inspection of control points and reference coordinate systems .

Luceda Photonics IPKISS Design Suite 2026.03
Luceda Photonics IPKISS Design Suite 2026.03