TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to photonic devices, and in particular but not exclusively, relates to optical multiplexers and demultiplexers.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Fiber-optic communication is typically employed to transmit information from one place to another via light that has been modulated to carry the information. For example, many telecommunication companies use optical fiber to transmit telephone signals, internet communication, and cable television signals. But the cost of deploying optical fibers for fiber-optic communication may be prohibitive. As such, techniques have been developed to more efficiently use the bandwidth available within a single optical fiber. Wavelength-division multiplexing is one such technique that bundles multiple optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber using different wavelengths.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The medium has logic stored thereon that, in response to execution by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to perform actions for generating a design of a physical device, the actions comprising receiving an initial design of the physical device; simulating performance of the physical device using the initial design to determine a performance loss value; determining a robustness loss value that represents an effect of perturbations in operating conditions during fabrication on the performance loss value; determining a total performance loss value based on the performance loss value and the robustness loss value; backpropagating the total performance loss value to determine a gradient corresponding to an influence of changes in the initial design on the total performance loss value; and revising the initial design of the physical device based at least in part on the gradient.

In some embodiments, a system comprising at least one computing device is provided. The computing device is configured with logic that, in response to execution by the at least one computing device, cause the system to perform actions for generating a design of a physical device, the actions comprising receiving an initial design of the physical device; simulating performance of the physical device using the initial design to determine a performance loss value; determining a robustness loss value that represents an effect of perturbations in operating conditions during fabrication on the performance loss value; determining a total performance loss value based on the performance loss value and the robustness loss value; backpropagating the total performance loss value to determine a gradient corresponding to an influence of changes in the initial design on the total performance loss value; and revising the initial design of the physical device based at least in part on the gradient.

