The Optoelectronic Engineering group develops and implements physics-based simulation software for optoelectronic and photonic devices.

The main focus of the research is on planar-waveguide based devices such as grating-coupled semiconductor lasers like distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers, grating-based input/output-couplers and modern taper structures like inverse tapers. Important future topics are photonic elements made of "high-index-contrast" materials (e.g., silicon photonics) and devices based on photonic crystals, which promise enormous innovation potential in the coming years.

Our goal is to develop "high-fidelity" models for the simulation of optoelectronic and photonic devices and implement them in high-performance simulation software. In that context, "high-fidelity" means that the underlying field equations are solved using direct numerical techniques. In order to obtain numerically efficient solvers, individual, problem-adapted methods inspired by the device physics are developed. The outcome are simulation tools with solution capacities and accuracies in the description of the device physics that go beyond state-of-the-art software. The tools support "fabless" (i.e., massively CAD-based) design methodologies in the field of optoelectronics and photonics.