Optiwave and ZEMAX collaboration improves optical engineering simulation

JANUARY 17, 2007 -- Optiwave Systems Inc. (search for Optiwave), provider of waveguide optical component and system design tools, and ZEMAX Development Corp., provider of lens design and illumination simulation applications software, today announced a collaboration to create a new interface to streamline the exchange of data between optical engineering simulation design tools provided by the companies.

The new interface will enable Optiwave and ZEMAX users to import and export their proprietary file formats between each platform, allowing for easy data exchange between the two optical engineering simulation environments in their respective fields.

"Together, Optiwave and ZEMAX are delivering easy data exchange between the two most widely used design applications that optical engineers choose for lens design, illumination, and optical waveguide design," reports Jan Jakubczyk, president and CEO of Optiwave. "Research engineers involved in the design of flat panel displays, optical data storage, and telecom equipment frequently use a number of simulation design tools from different vendors to meet their design needs. Our interface will help bridge the flow of information between Optiwave and ZEMAX products," Jakubczyk says.

OptiBPM, Optiwave's waveguide optics design suite, will be the first Optiwave product to include the new interface. A waveguide mode computed in OptiBPM can be propagated through a bulk optical system in ZEMAX and then re-imported to OptiBPM, which facilitates easier and faster designs of waveguide couplers because both tools can access the same data.

"Customers will benefit immediately by bringing two of their most important software investments closer together," adds Mark Nicholson, vice president of operations at ZEMAX. "This is a valuable new feature that helps engineers reduce simulation complexity by streamlining the flow of data between OptiBPM and ZEMAX."

The new interface will appear in the next version of OptiBPM and ZEMAX design software.


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