Analysis of modal coupling between glassy and liquid crystal planar waveguides

The problem of propagation of guided light in hybrid integrated planar waveguides is afforded in terms of Local Normal Modes. The approach is then generalised taking into account reflected modes arising when index discontinuity between adjacent guiding stages is significant. This is crucial for liquid crystal based waveguide devices. Transmission features in homogeneous as well as inhomogeous and anisotropic waveguides have been considered in numerical computations. One of the worked examples can well explain previously reported experimental results.