| A simulation tool based on the beam propagation method (BPM) is proposed and tested to model hybrid mode propagation in linear, homogeneous anisotropic slab waveguides. Given the principal refractive indices and the principal dielectric axes orientation angles for the cover, film, and substrate regions, an existing program is used to determine the propagation constants and steady state electric field distributions for guided hybrid modes, thereby solving the boundary value problem for a general anisotropic waveguide. The tool developed then takes these steady state calculations as input parameters and simulates the progression of the electric field distribution for each hybrid mode as it propagates along the waveguide. The BPM considers the waveguide as a series of identical longitudinal sections with operators defining propagation in each section. The BPM provides a graphical display of the waveshape at different points along the waveguide for a fixed snapshot in time. |
