VPIphotonics
"Empowering Photonics Innovation: Light Your Path! Shorten your R&D of new QKD technologies and systems in our powerful simulation environment, which also includes various tools and add-ons for photonic component modeling up to optical system level simulation."
For over 25 years, VPIphotonics has been a leading provider of Photonic Design Automation (PDA) solutions. The company's offerings encompass design methodologies, software tools, and services, forming a comprehensive suite employed in the engineering of intricate photonic networks and products.
Setting the industry benchmark for end-to-end photonic design automation, VPIphotonics seamlessly integrates design, analysis and optimisation of components, systems, and networks. Their software solutions embed expert knowledge, creating flexible working environments that cater to applications in integrated photonics, optoelectronics, fibre optics, optical transmission systems, networks, link engineering, and equipment configuration.
Empowering corporations, VPIphotonics facilitates intellectual property management and operational cost reduction by streamlining processes across the entire spectrum, from research and development to technical sales and marketing.
The solutions offered by VPIphotonics support the smooth exchange of information related to component characteristics, system requirements, engineering rules, and topology configuration within teams or among corporations. VPIphotonics ensures interoperability with a wide array of interfaces, connecting seamlessly with tools used by peers, third-party software, laboratory equipment, and existing databases.
Products and Services
VPIphotonics enables the quantum community to design and develop new QKD technologies and systems efficiently by offering a powerful simulation environment (VPIphotonics Design SuiteTM) that includes various tools and add-ons for photonic component modelling up to optical system level simulation. The VPItoolkitTM QKD provides CV- and DV-QKD modules based on weak-coherent prepare-and-measure protocols, including the corresponding transmitter and receiver modules, parameter estimation and secret key rate calculation. As an add-on to our VPItransmissionMakerTM Optical Systems (part of the VPIphotonics Design SuiteTM), co-existence scenarios with classical channels can be evaluated. Moreover, utilizing the powerful module libraries included in VPItransmissionMakerTM Optical Systems, deteriorating effects such as Raman scattering and different component imperfections like thermal noise, ADC quantisation noise, RIN and phase noise can be investigated. VPIphotonics Design SuiteTM and VPItoolkitTM QKD can serve as a test bed for fibre- and free-space-based QKD system implementations. Build-in automation features and a robust API enable the user to optimise simulation and design parameters efficiently, thus reducing the R&D phase considerably.
Team
Shi Li
Shi Li, an accomplished professional in electrical engineering, graduated with honours as an M. Sc. from the Technical University Berlin, Germany, in 2016. With four years of experience as a teaching and research assistant at Kiel University, he focused on optical communications. Shi Li's research interests encompass the Nonlinear Fourier Transform, machine learning, and photonic neuromorphic computing. Since joining VPIphotonics in 2020, he serves as a principal application engineer in the optical transmission domain and holds the position of solution owner for optical wireless communication.
Piotr Novik
Joining VPI Development Center in 2018 as a modelling engineer, Piotr Novik transitioned to VPIphotonics in Berlin, Germany, in 2021 as an R&D engineer. His research at VPI focuses on VPIcomponentMaker Fibre Optics and VPItoolkit QKD development, involving the implementation of various Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols and the creation of simulation models for devices essential in quantum key distribution. Piotr Novik obtained his Master's degree in Theoretical Physics from the Belarusian State University during his tenure at VPI Development Center.
Dr. Igor Koltchanov
Dr. Igor Koltchanov, the Director of Technology at VPIphotonics, is a globally recognised expert in the modelling and design of fibre optics, semiconductor lasers, integrated photonics and optical communications. With over 25 years at VPIphotonics, he has significantly contributed to the fundamental modelling capabilities and sophisticated design features of the VPI simulation tool suite. As the Director of Technology, he leads the modelling and specification team and serves as the Solution Owner Advanced Physics / Fibre Optics. Dr. Igor Koltchanov has co-authored over 75 publications and actively participated in numerous externally funded R&D programmes.
André Richter
André Richter earned his M.Sc. in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA, in 1995, and Dipl.-Ing. and Dr.-Ing. degrees from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany, in 1997 and 2002, respectively. His pioneering work focused on modelling long-haul fibre optical communications. Since 1997, André has been an integral part of the VPIphotonics Team. With over 140 publications, including two book chapters, his research interests span modelling and design aspects of optical communications, fibre optics, and integrated photonics. André Richter has held leadership roles in application engineering, product management and R&D, and since 2013, he serves as the General Manager. He is a senior member of OPTICA and IEEE, a member of VDE/ITG and SPIE, and has actively contributed to technical programme committees of OFC, ACP and IEEE Summer Topicals.