PHAROS: An Adaptive Optimization and DRC Correction Tool for Accurate Photonic Design Automation

The rapid advancement of photonic computing has highlighted its potential for high-speed, low-power parallel computation. Nonetheless, traditional inverse design for photonic integrated circuits (PICs) face challenges, such as irregular structural patterns and the necessity for manual design rule checks (DRC). These factors contribute to extended design cycles and diminished efficiency. To address these problems, this work proposed PHAROS, an adaptive optimization tool for automated photonic design automation. PHAROS employs adjoint-method gradient optimization. It integrates adaptive filtering and quantization mechanisms. These features enable the simultaneous optimization of electromagnetic performance and adaptation to manufacturing constraints. Then, a feedback system further enabled automatic DRC correction, ensuring compliance with foundry-specific process design kits (PDKs). Simulation results demonstrated the PHAROS’s robustness across diverse PDKs nodes and pixel resolutions. By automating the workflow from objectives to manufacturable layouts, PHAROS established a promising path for future photonic design automation (PDA).