Abstract
<jats:p>This paper analyzes the problem of radio frequency and optical signals co-modeling in the design of hybrid microwave photonic devices and systems. It is shown that the conventional separation of computer aided design (CAD) tools into electronic and photonic domains results in fragmented workflows, which reduces design accuracy and efficiency. Based on the analysis, a classification of co simulation approaches is proposed, comprising four categories: heterogeneous coupling of specialized CAD tools; enhancement of electronic CAD libraries with experimentally verified behavioral models of optical components; usage of unified hardware description languages (Verilog A, VHDL AMS, IBIS AMI); and development of unified software frameworks for design and simulation that leverage hardware acceleration and script based end to end automation. For each approach, the advantages and limitations are identified, and future directions for CAD tools supporting co modeling are outlined. These include standardization of compact models for photonic design libraries, adoption of machine learning and hardware accelerated computation, transition to open Python based libraries, implementation of cross layer modeling technology, and development of unified solvers that integrate radio frequency and optical domains.</jats:p>