Modal attenuation in metal-clad graded-index slab optical waveguides

The paper presents the influence of refractive profile shape on the distribution of modal attenuation in planar metal-clad optical waveguide structures. A calculation method has been presented in which we applied the Snyder–Love expression on modal attenuation coefficients and matrix method 4 × 4 for the analysis of planar waveguides. The obtained results are almost identical with the exact results for refractive profiles: the parabolic, exponential, Gaussian and linear ones. It has been demonstrated that the applied calculation method can be used in waveguides of any profiles of the refractive index.