Release Notes

0.2.1: October 8, 2025

  • Updated the general anisotropic solver to support bend waveguides and all types of settings like symmetric boundaries, expansion, and PMLs, available with EMode3D.

  • Added an input parameter to FDM() called mode_filter. By default, this is set to ‘forward’, but it can also be set to ‘backward’ or ‘none’. This will filter the mode list to select only forward or backward propagating modes (or don’t filter) for the anisotropic mode solver.

  • Improved EME stability and accuracy.

  • Added a new parameter to settings called eme_scattering, which specifies whether or not to automatically calculate all scattering losses within the EME calculation, defaults to False.

  • Fixed a bug in the MATLAB connection.

  • To use MATLAB on macOS, users must install .NET (https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/9.0). Installation instructions have been updated to include this detail.

  • Added support for directly saving EME plots with plot() and plot_S_matrix().

  • Fixed bug with conformal layers defined over multi-masked layers.

  • Fixed bug with the reset() function for resetting shapes.

  • Removed input parameter label from sweep() because it has not been implement yet.

  • Updated the confinement() function, which now includes the background shape and returns a dictionary of the confinement factors for each mode.

  • Updated orthogonality() so that it returns the orthogonality value.

  • For taper and gds section types, the default minimum_z_step is now ‘auto’, which uses 1/8th of the wavelength.

  • Default overlap_variation is now 0.02.

  • Added option lossless to taper and gds section types. Defaults to False.

  • Added the following parameters to the add_material() function: thermal_conductivity, resistivity, dn_dT, eps_r_dc, phi, and theta. See the documentation for details.

  • Added the following parametrs to the shape() function: fem_resolution, current, voltage, and heat_only. See the documentation for details.

  • Added a parameter taper_algorithm for the taper and gds section types. This is intended to be used for slowly varying structures that are known to be adiabatic.

0.2.0: June 27, 2025

  • Added an explicit restriction on the tolerance parameter so that it cannot be set to be smaller than the machine precision. The default for tolerance is 1e-12.

  • Removed a bug in EME for symmetric section simulations.

  • Optimized and improved the underlying EME algorithm, improving simulation accuracy.

  • Added beta support for macOS and Linux.

  • Improved the subpixel averaging algorithm.

  • Added general anisotropic solver for straight waveguides, available with EMode3D.

  • The shape() function input refractive_index has been changed to material. Similarly, the fill_refractive_index has been changed to fill_material.

  • All scattering loss results are now stored under the meta_data dictionary of the shape.

  • Added a progress bar for meshing and solving.

  • Added the ability to return material properties from database materials using get("material_name").

  • Added two special types available to the user for defining materials and material properties: MaterialSpec and MaterialProperties.

  • The crystal orientation of a material can now be rotated relative to the simulation window axis by defining a MaterialSpec and specifying rotation parameters theta and phi.

  • Changes to biaxial materials: extraordinary index is always aligned with the z-axis (ordinary is aligned with the x and y axes). Rotations can be performed to orient a crystal to the simulation axes as desired. Affected materials: BBO, LN_z –> LN, LN_MgO_z –> LN_MgO, TiO2_rutile.

  • When EMode encounters errors, emodeconnection.py (1.0.11) will now raise an exception instead of just printing an error message.

0.1.2: March 16, 2025

  • Fixed a bug where num_modes was reset after modes are automatically removed from the pml regions.

  • Fixed a bug with the label() function when using the fill_refractive_index parameter.

  • Fixed a bug in the plot() function when fill_refractive_index was set on conformal layers.

  • Fixed a bug with EModeLogin when displaying error messages.

  • Updated the EModeLogin GUI layout.

  • For both the Python and the MATLAB interfaces, a static function called EModeLogin() was added, which replaces the previous EModeLogin executable for running the EMode Login GUI. New instructions are added to the website for running the EMode Login GUI.

0.1.1: May 7, 2024

  • Fixed a bug with the MATLAB connection.

  • Fixed a bug with the shape() argument position.

  • Fixed a bug with the scattering() calculate that was overestimating the scattering loss.

0.1.0: April 24, 2024

  • The EME module has been added, including section(), EME(), and plot_S_matrix(). These are only available with an active EMode3D license.

  • EME solver is limited to only use field_to_solve of ‘Et’.

  • EME length sweeps are solved in the reverse order.

  • Changed the parameter length_nm to length for all EME sections and functions.

  • EME sections automatically re-solved after a shape change and label reset.

  • Materials added to the material database: InGaAs, InGaP, InP, InSb, PMMA, SU8, TiO2_rutile, HfO2, H2O, GGG, GaSb, GaP, BBO, and InSb.

  • Material explorer: fixed bug saving certain filetypes, fixed bug with logo placement in saved files, and added gridlines.

  • Updated material_explorer() plot display and saving resolution.

  • The add_material() function now accepts citation and wavelength_range as an inputs.

  • Updated add_material() so that is accepts a list of three equations for defining anisotropic materials with dispersion.

  • New function import_database() added, which supports the import of a custom database text file.

  • The west boundary condition has been re-defined to reflect the Ex (a)symmetry, so it matches the south boundary condition.

  • The default y-position has been changed from -1 to ‘auto’.

  • In the plot() function, scaling is added to the cursor data-value for field plotting.

  • Fixed a plot error following a call to group_index().

  • Fixed a bug when iteratively updating a shape setting.

  • MATLAB connection now outputs text to the MATLAB command window.

  • Updated the scattering loss tool to make the calculation more consistent.

  • Fixed bugs with saving and opening EMode simulation files with MATLAB.

  • Added the new parameter propagation_resolution to the settings() function.

0.0.7-b5: December 12, 2023

  • Fixed bugs with conformal layers.

  • Added arbitrary number of masks for each shape.

  • Added input parameters to shape: mask_offset and tone. Either mask, mask_offset, or both can be a list. The length of each parameter will be matched by padding with the last value. Settings from tone and etch are applied to all mask/mask_offset values.

  • Added etch functionality to conformal layers.

  • Fixed the bug the made incorrect mode list ordering.

  • Added the function orthogonality to test the othogonality of the mode list. This is helpful to determine if the mode list is sufficiently accurate.

  • Added the input parameter label to get(), so users can extract data from labeled datasets.

  • The label() function now saves all settings and field data under in a Python dictionary or a MATLAB structure array called dataset_LABEL.

  • Changed the default operation in confinement() to only include areas of a shape that define the refractive index, not including areas that are overlapped by other shapes with higher priority.

  • Added a boolean option ignore_priority to confinement() that toggles ignoring overlapping shapes with higher priority.

  • Added user-accessible variables shape_materials, priority_indices, and shape_vertices.

  • Added support for iPython.

  • Added functionality to use an existing material name to define a custom material. This will override the EMode database material during the session.

  • FDM() now takes the input parameter label to automatically save the simulation result as a labaled dataset.

  • Updated group_index() so it will run without running FDM() first.

  • Added ‘min’ as an option for slice_op parameter in scattering().

  • Shapes and associated properties are now saved as dictionaries. This also includes the scattering loss results.

  • Interfacial roughness and correlation length values are now specified in the shape parameters: correlation_length (alias Lc_nm) and roughness_rms (alias st_dev_nm).

  • Added the new function reset() to clear all shapes, reset settings, or both.

  • Shape argument position now accepts a single float to specify only the x-position and automatically place the y-position of a planar layer on top of the previous layer.

  • Added boundary conditions options ‘TE-h’, ‘TE-v’, ‘TM-h’, and ‘TM-v’ to specify only horizontal or vertical symmetry for TE or TM modes.

  • Fixed bugs with MATLAB connection: default file_type is now ‘.mat’ for close(), and ‘.eph’ file is preserved after save().

0.0.6-b4: March 13, 2023

  • Added an option to remove the legend from plot.

  • Now planar layers do not add fill material by default, only if fill_refractive_index is defined.

  • Updated meshing algorithm to fix bugs at shape interfaces.

  • plot now shows positive and negative field values on the colorbar.

  • Fixed error when setting wavelength units to ‘um’ in add_material.

  • Added options to improve sidewall scattering accuracy. See details in the documentation for the scattering function.

0.0.5-b3: February 3, 2023

  • Scattering loss now works with angled sidewalls.

  • For scattering, the default for mode is ‘all’.

  • Added imaginary index capability to add_material.

  • Bend mode solver updated so field patterns and loss are now more accurate.

  • Switched from uniaxial pml to stretched-coordinate pml.

  • User-defined materials now override EMode database materials.

  • plot now shows shapes with the same refractive index in a different color.

  • Added capability to solve for the magnetic field instead of the electric field. See the field_to_solve parameter in settings.

  • Removed the field_calc option from FDM. Now the fields will always be available, but they will not be stored in memory. This reduces the memory usage by about 7x.

  • Saved .eph files do not contain the raw field data by default. This can be controlled with the save_all_fields parameter in save and close.

  • material_explorer now shows user added materials.