Ansys Lumerical Mode

Ansys Lumerical MODE - Enterprise Optical Waveguide and Coupler Design Software

Ansys Lumerical MODE is a comprehensive optical waveguide design environment. It models waveguide and coupler performance with three solvers: a finite difference eigenmode (FDE) solver, a 2.5D variational FDTD (varFDTD) solver and a bidirectional eigenmode expansion (EME) solver.

Together they handle large planar structures and long propagation lengths, with accurate spatial field, modal frequency and overlap analysis.

Ansys Lumerical MODE 2026 R1

• Synopsys OptoCompiler integration: OptoCompiler now links directly with Lumerical FDTD, MODE and Multiphysics for device-to-circuit photonic design.
• PyLumerical: Python automation across FDTD, MODE, Multiphysics and INTERCONNECT, compatible with the PyAnsys ecosystem.

Read more: Ansys Lumerical MODE 2026 R1 highlights

Ansys Lumerical Enterprise

The full Lumerical suite: FDTD, MODE, INTERCONNECT, CML Compiler and the multiphysics solvers. Each job includes 4 CPU cores and 4 GPU SMs, and scales with Ansys HPC Packs.

Better suited to multi-GPU systems and HPC workflows.

Ansys Lumerical MODE

A standalone MODE licence for waveguide and coupler design.

FDE, varFDTD and EME Solvers

FDE characterises straight and bent waveguides, varFDTD simulates broadband light propagation in planar components, and EME efficiently models long tapers and propagation lengths. A conformal mesh maintains accuracy with high-index-contrast and dispersive materials.

Foundry Layer Builder, Magneto-Optics and Multiphysics Profiles

A foundry-compatible automated layer builder sets up process stacks, magneto-optical waveguides can be analysed, and spatially varying temperature and charge density profiles import from multiphysics solvers.

From Waveguide Parameters to Circuit Models

Waveguide parameters extracted in MODE create waveguide elements in INTERCONNECT and feed compact model generation in CML Compiler.

Common Waveguide Design Consultation Topics

• Waveguide cross-sections: mode profiles and effective index.
• Couplers and tapers: coupling efficiency and mode conversion.
• Bend loss: radius and loss trade-offs.
• Fibre-to-chip coupling: edge couplers and spot-size converters.

Have a project outside this list? Send us the specification. Where a study needs specialist knowledge, we draw on our wider Ansys partner network.

Related Products

• Ansys Lumerical FDTD: full 3D time-domain simulation for arbitrary structures.
• Ansys Lumerical INTERCONNECT: circuit simulation using MODE waveguide parameters.
• Ansys Lumerical CML Compiler: compact models built from MODE data.

Ansys Lumerical MODE FAQ

Can we trial Lumerical MODE?

Yes. Ansys offers a free 30-day MODE trial.

Oct ’26 update by the CADIT Ansys Optics Team.