Simulation of waveguide birefringence by beam propagation method

It is demonstrated that, by modifying the waveguide geometry, the beam-propagation method (BPM) can be extended to determine the mode indexes of both polarizations. Such an approach has been implemented into BPM routines. It can be used to determine the birefringence in waveguide structures. The same approach is also applicable in other waveguide simulation programs based on the scalar field approximation. The operational principle and numerical results for planar waveguides are presented, and the extension of this technique to channel waveguides is discussed.>