Po.Li.Te

VCSEL & Semiconductor Device Simulation

Simulation Workflows for VCSELs and Semiconductor Devices

Po.Li.Te combines optical, thermal and drift-diffusion transport solvers to model devices from material and geometry inputs to application-relevant figures of merit. VCSELs are the flagship workflow, where all three run fully coupled; the transport and thermal core carries the same approach into every other device family it fits.

Born from more than twenty years of VCSEL and semiconductor device modeling. Now expanding toward emerging semiconductor technologies.

Discuss Your Device Explore Our Simulation Platform
DEVICES PHYSICS ENGINES FIGURES OF MERIT VCSEL / Laser Photodetector Waveguide / PIC Power device Cryogenic CMOS Transport drift-diffusion Thermal FEM heat transport Optical & EM CMT · Modal analysis Electrical & thermal FOM Optical FOM Design decisions
Our Technological Foundation

From VCSEL and Semiconductor Modeling to Device Design

Po.Li.Te originated from two closely connected bodies of expertise: semiconductor device modeling and one of its most demanding applications, vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.

VCSEL simulation requires simultaneous understanding of carrier transport, heat generation, optical confinement, electromagnetic modes and device geometry across very different spatial scales. The numerical technologies developed to solve these problems provide a foundation that can be extended to many other semiconductor and optoelectronic devices.

Today, Po.Li.Te is evolving from a specialized VCSEL simulation environment into a broader platform for device-specific semiconductor modeling.

“Born from VCSEL and semiconductor modeling. Built for semiconductor device design.”
Most mature application

VCSELs

Our flagship application and the field where our technology has the strongest track record, grounded in peer-reviewed research and years of iteration. Explore our VCSEL simulation workflow →

Direction of expansion

Broader semiconductor platform

The numerical core built for VCSELs is being extended, application by application, to other semiconductor and optoelectronic devices. Not every device family below has undergone the same level of validation as our VCSEL workflows.

Platform Physics

One Platform, Multiple Physical Domains

Po.Li.Te currently combines three main simulation families, which can be used individually or coupled together depending on the device and the engineering question.

Semiconductor Transport

Drift-diffusion and related semiconductor transport models.

Electron / hole concentration Carrier transport Electrical potential Electric field Current density Current spreading Carrier injection Recombination I-V characteristics Electrical losses Power dissipation

These models can form the basis of simulation workflows for many semiconductor devices.

Thermal Simulation

Finite-element based heat transport.

Temperature distribution Self-heating Heat spreading Thermal gradients Thermal resistance Local hot spots Temperature-dependent material properties Temperature-dependent device behavior

Thermal simulations can be coupled with transport and electromagnetic models.

Optical & Electromagnetic

A full-vector 3D modal solver based on Coupled Mode Theory, validated on VCSEL cavities and reused, as-is, for other resonant and modal optical problems.

Coupled Mode Theory Full-vector modal analysis Longitudinal optical models
EM field distributions Optical modes Effective index Resonant wavelengths Optical confinement Optical coupling Near-field / far-field Polarization Reflection / transmission Losses Field enhancement
Multiphysics

Not Every Device Needs Every Solver

One of the main strengths of Po.Li.Te is connecting different physical domains only where the engineering question requires it — the minimum physical complexity needed to answer it accurately and efficiently. This is a key differentiator from brute-force, general-purpose simulation.

Electrical
+
Thermal
Electrical + Thermal Optical + Thermal Optical + Electrical Electrical + Optical + Thermal
Application Areas

Where Po.Li.Te Applies

The device families below are engineering questions we can answer today or are actively building toward — not a list of markets, but a map of the semiconductor and optoelectronic devices our physics engines can model.

Flagship

Semiconductor Lasers

VCSELs and related cavities — our most mature workflow.

 Available

Photodetectors & Optical Sensors

Absorption, carrier generation, photocurrent.

 Emerging

Integrated Photonics & Active Optoelectronics

Cavity-like waveguides and resonators today; broader propagation modeling on the roadmap.

 Available

Power Semiconductor Devices

Electro-thermal device design.

 Emerging

Quantum & Cryogenic Semiconductor Devices

The classical environment around quantum functionality.

 Application engineering

Custom Semiconductor Devices

A device we haven’t listed yet.
Flagship Application

Semiconductor Lasers

VCSEL simulation is where Po.Li.Te’s technology has the strongest track record — validated against the team’s own peer-reviewed research and years of iteration with R&D teams.

Representative devices

VCSELs VCSEL arrays Multi-junction VCSELs Tunnel-junction VCSELs Surface-patterned VCSELs Semiconductor laser cavities Other semiconductor emitters where compatible models apply

Physics & numerical methods

Transport Thermal Optical / EM Multiphysics coupling
CMT Modal analysis

Typical quantities

Current distribution Carrier injection Temperature / self-heating Optical modes Wavelength Threshold gain Optical confinement Near-field / far-field Polarization Optical losses Emitted field characteristics
These are the same mature figures of merit used in our production VCSEL workflow — see the Product page for the full optical and thermal solver description.
Explore our VCSEL simulation workflow
Available Simulation Engines

Photodetectors & Optical Sensors

Photodetector workflows are validated on our transport and optical solvers today, sharing the same numerical core used for VCSELs.

Representative devices

Photodiodes Semiconductor photodetectors Resonant photodetectors Optical sensors Semiconductor sensing structures

Modules

Optical / electromagnetic (CMT-based) Transport Thermal (where relevant)

Workflow

Electromagnetic field
↓
Optical absorption
↓
Carrier generation
↓
Carrier transport
↓
Electrical response

Figures of merit (when supported by the implemented models)

Optical absorption Field distribution Carrier generation profile Carrier density Carrier collection Photocurrent Electric field Spectral response Temperature dependence
We do not claim APD or SPAD performance quantities such as avalanche gain, excess noise or breakdown voltage — those require dedicated avalanche models, which are not part of the current platform. Detectors integrated into longer waveguide runs, where propagation over distance (not just cavity/resonant behavior) matters, are evaluated case by case with our Application Engineering team — see the Integrated Photonics section below.
Emerging Application Area

Integrated Photonics & Active Optoelectronics

Our modal solver, validated on VCSEL and photodetector cavities, extends naturally to other resonator-like structures. General-purpose photonic-circuit propagation modeling, the kind needed for arbitrary waveguide runs and couplers, relies on FDTD or BPM class methods. We develop electromagnetic solvers of that kind in house, but they are not part of the shipped platform: today they are available only through custom engineering projects.

Structures addressable today

Resonators Cavity-coupled structures Semiconductor optical structures

On our roadmap

Waveguides Optical couplers Active waveguides Integrated emitters & detectors Electro-optical structures

Modules

Modal analysis (CMT-based) Transport (carrier effects) Thermal (temperature-dependent optics)

Possible figures of merit

Mode profiles Effective index Resonant wavelength Field enhancement Optical losses Temperature-induced wavelength shift
Po.Li.Te connects semiconductor physics with photonic behavior directly, rather than treating them as independent problems — carrier effects and thermal drift feed into the same optical model instead of a separate, disconnected step. Talk to us if your design is dominated by propagation over distance rather than cavity/modal behavior — we’ll tell you honestly whether it’s a fit today.
Available Simulation Engines

Power Semiconductor Devices

CMOS and other MOS-type structures are validated on our transport and thermal solvers today. Other device classes below reuse the same physics core and are being extended and validated on a project-by-project basis.

Representative device classes

Semiconductor diodes Power diodes MOS & CMOS structures HEMT-type structures Wide-bandgap semiconductor structures Power semiconductor heterostructures

Main physics

Transport Thermal Electro-thermal coupling

Potential figures of merit

I-V characteristics Current density Carrier distributions Electric potential Electric field Electrical losses Power dissipation Temperature distribution Hot spots Thermal gradients Thermal resistance
“Connect electrical transport and heat generation within the same device workflow.”
We do not claim simulation of avalanche breakdown, impact ionization, short-circuit ruggedness or reliability lifetime — these require dedicated physical models not currently part of the platform.
Emerging Application Area

Quantum & Cryogenic Semiconductor Devices

Semiconductor devices used in quantum technologies often still require classical semiconductor, thermal and electromagnetic modeling. This is where Po.Li.Te’s platform physics applies today — not a claim of complete quantum-device simulation.

“Model the semiconductor, thermal and electromagnetic environment surrounding the quantum functionality.”

Possible applications

Semiconductor components at cryogenic temperatures Optoelectronic components for quantum systems Semiconductor emitters for atomic systems Electrical interfaces to quantum hardware Photonic structures for quantum technologies Semiconductor heterostructures

Available physics can address

Electrical potential Carrier distribution Current density Electric field Temperature / heat flow Electromagnetic fields Optical modes / resonances Optical coupling
Application-specific quantum models may become additional platform extensions where required. We do not claim simulation of qubit coherence, quantum gates or many-body quantum dynamics — no such modules currently exist.
Application Engineering

Have a Device We Have Not Listed?

Semiconductor innovation often starts with device concepts that do not fit standard software templates. Po.Li.Te’s modular architecture allows our Application Engineering team to assemble dedicated simulation workflows using existing transport, thermal and electromagnetic engines and, when required, extend them with custom physical models. That includes in-house electromagnetic solvers such as FDTD, which we run as custom engineering projects rather than as part of the shipped platform.

Custom device templates

Matched to your specific epitaxial stack, wavelength or fabrication process.

Custom boundary conditions & material models

New physics where the standard library doesn’t cover your device.

Custom figures of merit

The metrics your team actually reviews before a design decision.

Solver coupling & automation

Parameter sweeps and multiphysics coupling built for your workflow.

Design optimization

From a validated baseline to a ranked shortlist of variants.

Integration & post-processing

Fit into your existing company workflows and tools.

Discuss Your Device With Us
How It Works

Device to Figure of Merit

Different devices. Different physics. One simulation workflow.

Device definition Materials · Epitaxy · Geometry · Doping · Contacts · Operating conditions
↓
Physics selection Transport · Thermal · Electromagnetic
↓
Numerical method Drift-diffusion · FEM · CMT · Modal analysis
↓
Multiphysics coupling Electrical-thermal · Optical-thermal · Optical-electrical · Electrical-optical-thermal
↓
Figures of merit Electrical · Optical · Thermal · Device-specific
↓
Design iteration Geometry · Materials · Doping · Layer structure · Operating conditions
Application Matrix

Physics by Application

Po.Li.Te selects the physics according to the engineering problem — this is why the matrix below shows core, optional and application-specific modules rather than a uniform checklist.

Application Representative devices Transport Thermal Optical / Modal Status today Typical outputs
VCSELs & Semiconductor Lasers VCSELs, VCSEL arrays, tunnel-junction VCSELs, laser cavities CORE CORE CORE Validated Wavelength, threshold gain, near/far field, self-heating
Photodetectors & Sensors Photodiodes, resonant photodetectors, optical sensors CORE OPTIONAL CORE Validated Absorption, carrier generation, photocurrent, spectral response
Integrated Optoelectronics Resonators, cavity-coupled structures (waveguides/couplers on roadmap) OPTIONAL OPTIONAL OPTIONAL Emerging Mode profiles, resonant wavelength, field enhancement
Power Semiconductors MOS/CMOS structures, diodes, HEMT-type, wide-bandgap structures CORE CORE — Validated (CMOS/MOS) I-V characteristics, current density, losses, hot spots
Quantum / Cryogenic Devices Cryogenic interfaces, quantum-system emitters, photonic structures for quantum tech OPTIONAL OPTIONAL OPTIONAL Emerging Potential, carrier distribution, temperature, EM resonances
Custom Devices Defined with our Application Engineering team APPLICATION-SPECIFIC APPLICATION-SPECIFIC APPLICATION-SPECIFIC Defined per project Defined per project
This matrix reflects which physics engines are available on the platform. Whether a specific module is fully validated for your device, or needs a dedicated Application Engineering workflow, is best confirmed in a technical session — see Contact.
Why Po.Li.Te

From General-Purpose Simulation to Application-Specific Workflows

1

Physics-based

Start from materials, geometry and operating conditions.

2

Modular

Use the physical models required by the specific device.

3

Multiphysics

Connect electrical, thermal and electromagnetic behavior.

4

Device-oriented

Extract the figures of merit engineers actually use for design decisions.

5

Extensible

New models, figures of merit and device templates can be developed for emerging applications.

What Semiconductor Device Are You Designing?

Our platform was born from the complexity of VCSEL modeling, but semiconductor design does not stop at one device family. Tell us what you are developing, which physical effects matter and which figures of merit you need. We can evaluate the most appropriate simulation workflow for your device.

Discuss Your Application Request a Technical Session

Curious about the research behind the platform? See our publications and team, or read more on the blog.