RSoft 2026 New Features

The RSoft Photonic Device Software 2026 release introduces a broad set of enhancements aimed at improving the design, simulation, and optimization of photonic and optoelectronic devices. As part of Keysight’s Photonic Design Solutions portfolio, RSoft continues to support engineers developing silicon photonics, photonic integrated circuits, diffractive optical elements, and other advanced photonic components. The 2026 update focuses on accelerating simulation workflows, expanding inverse‑design capabilities, strengthening BSDF‑based surface‑scattering analysis, and improving integration with downstream photonic design platforms.

A major addition in this release is the Topology Optimizer, a free‑form inverse‑design tool built directly into the RSoftCAD environment. This capability enables automated generation of photonic structures based on user‑defined performance objectives, eliminating the need to begin from predefined shapes or manually iterate through design variations. The optimizer supports binarization, design‑rule checks, and multi‑case test definitions, allowing users to explore complex geometries such as MMI couplers and other integrated photonic components. By automatically producing material layouts that meet targeted specifications, the tool helps reduce design cycles and supports more efficient exploration of high‑performance photonic structures.

RSoft 2026 also expands integration with the RSoft Photonic Device Compiler and Keysight’s ADS Photonic Designer. Through the Custom PDK Utility, users can generate model cells, extend existing PDKs, or build new device libraries that include simulation data, symbols, and layout information. This workflow supports passive asymmetric components and enables seamless transfer of device models into ADS for circuit‑level simulation and layout. The enhanced integration helps bridge the gap between photonic device design and system‑level implementation, supporting foundry PDK development and IP‑based design flows. Simulation performance is another focus of the 2026 release.

GPU‑accelerated full‑wave FDTD, introduced in an earlier version, now offers significantly faster initialization and reduced pre‑ and post‑processing overhead for dispersive simulations. Benchmark examples, including a 3D CMOS image sensor, demonstrate up to three‑times speed improvement compared to previous GPU‑enabled releases. GPU acceleration has also been extended to support 2D FDTD simulations, enabling faster analysis across a wider range of device geometries.

The release includes substantial updates to BSDF generation and analysis workflows, which are essential for modeling surface‑scattering behavior in diffractive and meta‑optical structures. A new resume function improves stability during large‑scale BSDF dataset generation, automatically detecting and rerunning incomplete cases caused by interruptions. The expanded BSDF viewer allows users to visualize transmission, phase, wavelength, angle, and order dependencies using line, contour, or polar plots. New bi‑directional BSDF converters support open‑format data exchange, enabling integration with external workflows and measurement‑based datasets.

Together, these enhancements make RSoft 2026 a more capable and efficient platform for photonic device design. The release strengthens inverse‑design capabilities, accelerates full‑wave simulation, improves BSDF‑based analysis, and expands interoperability with Keysight’s broader photonic design ecosystem. These updates support engineers working on next‑generation photonic technologies by providing faster, more flexible, and more integrated design workflows.