A full-wave three-dimensional analysis of open dielectric waveguides and periodic structures using an equivalent network model

An accurate fully vectorial wave analysis to calculate the propagation characteristics and field distribution of open dielectric waveguides and optical integrated circuits is presented. Based on the periodic repetition concept and using an equivalent network model, a method to analyze wave propagation in these guides is developed, which is able to take the simultaneous presence of mixed polarizations into account. Compared with conventional approaches like mode matching as well as with other numerical methods, the presented three-dimensional (3D) method shows individual advantages like accuracy, simplicity, and numerical efficiency. To show both validity and usefulness of this approach, some fundamental structures are investigated and the obtained numerical results are presented.