MODAL CONTOURS FOR BIAXIAL THIN-FILM WAVE-GUIDES

The modal characteristics of a general tilted columnar biaxial thin-fi lm waveguide are displayed by the plots of both Snell's law quantity b eta = n sin theta and the polarization of the evanescent held at the c over interface on a polar diagram. The association of characteristic f eatures in the modal diagram with the basis fields is demonstrated, an d the mechanism that allows p and s modes propagating in the depositio n plane to overlap, without the modal contours crossing, is explored. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America