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Connect with Ansys to explore how simulation can power your next breakthrough.
Students get free access to world-class simulation software.
Connect with Ansys to explore how simulation can power your next breakthrough.
Ansys Lumerical FDTD is the gold-standard for modeling photonic components, processes, and materials. The integrated design environment provides scripting capability, advanced post-processing, and optimization methods.
Ansys Lumerical FDTD is photonic simulation software that integrates FDTD, RCWA, and STACK solvers in a single design environment. This empowers precise analysis and optimization for various devices, including diffraction gratings, multilayered coatings, uLEDs, CMOS image sensors, metalenses, and metasurfaces, delivering best-in-class performance across diverse applications. Ansys Lumerical FDTD empowers rapid virtual prototyping and verification of thousands of iterations for the most complex designs.
Ansys Lumerical FDTD works seamlessly with Ansys Lumerical CML Compiler, Ansys Multiphysics solvers, Ansys Speos, Ansys Zemax, and third-party electronic-photonic design automation (EPDA) vendors to enable fast, accurate, scalable photonic design.
“Ansys Lumerical simulation software met our criteria for accuracy, compatibility, user-friendliness, and support and enabled us to design and optimize our photonic devices with confidence. The software made it easy to integrate fabrication process data for practical and realistic simulation results."
“With the help of Ansys Lumerical with their optimization, scripting, and cloud support, we were able to optimize each and every component of our X8 circuit for unprecedented low-loss performance, compactness, and high manufacturing tolerance.”
“Ansys Lumerical FDTD solutions paired with its cloud Accelerators allowed us to reduce insertion loss by more than 15% while significantly accelerating our design schedule.”
“Lumerical FDTD solutions is an integral component of our research and development structure. The user-friendly layout allows for quick setup of short-term projects, while its scripting capabilities, documentation, and examples have enabled us to consistently and effectively advance our technology.”
“By using Lumerical FDTD solutions, we created highly accurate microcavity OLED models for fabrication from a set of custom scripts. Lumerical was instrumental in reducing both time and costs, and continues as the primary tool to execute our current, patented method for tuning optical structure of OLED.””
“We designed every nanometer of this metasurface using Ansys Lumerical FDTD + AWS + Python API while making it compatible with CMOS fabrication tolerances. Lumerical’s AWS solution allowed Lumotive to scale our design cycle by two to three orders of magnitude without additional cost or accuracy compromises.”
“The capability to run large scale physical simulations using the mature and approximation free FDTD method gives us a new level of confidence at tape-out. Lumerical’s FDTD based HPC approach proved to be the fastest and most cost effective.”
“Lumerical’s software has been invaluable to our research. Very useful features are being continuously added to maintain a market leading reputation.”
March 2026
The 2026 R1 Release of Ansys Lumerical FDTD enhances photonic and electronic design workflows with Synopsys interoperability, advanced PIC and CMOS sensor capabilities, and Python automation through PyLumerical, delivering scalable, production-ready solutions for semiconductor and telecom industries.
Optimize CMOS Image Sensor design with Ansys Lumerical FDTD. Seamlessly load TCAD structures, simulate optical performance, and export results to SDevice. Address geometry propagation, etch bias, thickness variability, and electro-thermal-optical coupling. Perfect for semiconductor and high-tech industries, this solution ensures accurate simulations for advanced optical and electronic device development.
Automate Lumerical tools seamlessly with PyLumerical, a Python-based solution. Fully compatible with the PyAnsys ecosystem, it integrates with FDTD, MODE, multiphysics, INTERCONNECT, and other Ansys tools like OptiSLang and Speos, plus open-source Python libraries. Simplify workflows and enhance multiphysics simulations with this modern, efficient approach.
Enhance photonic component design with the seamless synergies of Ansys Lumerical FDTD and Synopsys OptoCompiler. This direct bridge enables photonic VA model generation using CML Compiler for PrimeSim, driving innovation in telecom, semiconductor, and high-tech industries. Boost your design efficiency with this powerful toolset for next-generation photonics.
Experience flexible accelerated simulation workflows with the new features in Ansys Cloud Burst Compute for Ansys Lumerical FDTD. Add jobs easily, perform S-parameter sweeps, and use cost-effective spot instances. Plus, submit and forget—simulations run seamlessly in the cloud, even if you close the application.
The latest GPU-accelerated features in Ansys Lumerical FDTD include a broadband source for efficient multi-frequency analysis and a volumetric current source optimized for LumOpt tasks. These enhancements streamline simulations, improving performance and enabling precise design optimizations, such as CMOS image sensor development, with GPU-based processing.
Modern Viewport Improvements in Ansys Lumerical FDTD deliver faster geometry construction, support for simulation ports and image imports, and a streamlined, ergonomic interface. With the modernized 3D CAD Viewport now default at launch, users can experience enhanced performance and functionality for more efficient simulations.
CAPABILITIES
Lumerical FDTD is industry’s leading simulation software for design and optimization of a wide range of photonic components. Lumerical FDTD is remarkably versatile and scalable, offering unmatched speed and the ability to harness HPC (CPU and multi-GPU) and cloud resources.
34% of an engineer's time is spend in searching for simulation data. This video highlights how such challenges can be solved with Ansys Minerva and make engineers more productive.
Reduce the complexity involved in simulation projects, allow team members to work harmoniously to save time and ensure best practices consistently across the projects.
It's vital to Ansys that all users, including those with disabilities, can access our products. As such, we endeavor to follow accessibility requirements based on the US Access Board (Section 508), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and the current format of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).
If you're facing engineering challenges, our team is here to assist. With a wealth of experience and a commitment to innovation, we invite you to reach out to us. Let's collaborate to turn your engineering obstacles into opportunities for growth and success. Contact us today to start the conversation.
