Combined beam propagation and bidirectional eigenmode propagation methods for bidirectional optical beam propagation analysis

Abstract

A combination of the beam propagation method (BPM) and the bidirectional eigenmode propagation method (BEP) is proposed for the analysis of reflections in waveguide structures containing longitudinal discontinuities. The BPM based on the finite element method (FEM) is applied to slowly varying regions and the BEP is applied only to regions that include abrupt discontinuities. The FEM is also utilized for evaluating the eigenmodes necessary in the BEP analysis. To show the validity and usefulness of the approach proposed here, numerical examples for a semiconductor laser facet, an optical waveguide connection, and an optical directional coupler are presented. © 1998 Scripta Technica. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 80(6): 10–18, 1997