Bent planar waveguides and whispering gallery modes: a new method of analysis

A matrix method for analyzing bent planar optical waveguides is discussed. The method is a modification of an earlier method which yields bend loss directly, inasmuch as a nonuniform refractive index is approximated by a series of linear profiles rather than a series of uniform profiles. The method can be used with absorbing or leaky structures. The effect of whispering gallery modes has also been studied. It appears that a whispering gallery explanation given by H.J. Harris and P.F. Castle (1986) may not be adequate.<
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