Beam propagation method based on finite element scheme and its application to optical waveguide analysis

In regard to the beam propagation method (BPM), one of the indispensable analysis tools for the design of optical waveguide devices and optical circuits, this paper treats the FE-BPM based on the finite element method, which allows an efficient analysis using adaptive meshes and provides basic concepts. The paper also refers to the time-domain BPM, which can automatically take care of the reflected wave, and to the imaginary-distance BPM, which can easily carry out eigenmode analysis including leaky modes. In addition to examples of generated adaptive meshes, analysis examples of photonic crystal circuits and three-dimensional ARROW waveguides are presented so that the effectiveness and usefulness of the FE-BPM are demonstrated. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.