PROPAGATION CHARACTERISTICS OF NOVEL GAIN-GUIDED SEGMENTED PLANAR WAVE-GUIDES

We propose a new class of segmented waveguides, namely gain-guided per iodic segmented waveguides (GG-PSW), in which the guidance is brought about by a periodic linear array of gain guiding regions embedded in a homogeneous medium. Corresponding to a planar GG-PSW with segments ha ving parabolic gain variation in the transverse direction, we have obt ained the fundamental guided mode parameters using the complex ABCD ma trix formulation for Gaussian beam propagation. The dependence of the effective index, spot size and gain coefficient of the mode on the dut y cycle of segmentation and the gain parameter of the segments is pres ented for practical values corresponding to InGaAsP. Such waveguides a re expected to find applications in the design of novel waveguide devi ces in semiconducting substrates.