Computationally efficient analysis of buried waveguides with applications to semiconductor lasers

The proven free space radiation mode method is extended for the first time to the important case of multilayered structures. Simple transcendental equations are obtained which can be solved in a matter of seconds, accurately yielding both propagation constants and field profiles. Further, the inclusion of lossy materials and active regions allows the approach to be used for the first time to model buried laser structures. A variety of practical examples are examined, and results are compared with those from complex finite element and finite difference calculations, demonstrating excellent agreement and a substantial reduction in computational effort