FINITE-ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF LOSSY TE-TM MODES IN METAL-CLAD OPTICAL WAVE-GUIDES

Finite-element analysis employing the scalar and vector I-I-held formu lations and with the aid of the perturbation technique is used to calc ulate the TE-TM complex propagation characteristics of integrated opti cal devices in gallium arsenide, lithium niobate, and silica fiber, in corporating a lossy metal cladding. The propagation and attenuation pr operties of several types of metal-clad planar optical waveguide, whic h exhibit surface-plasmon properties for the Till polarization, are re viewed, and the modal loss caused by the metal cladding in a titanium- diffused lithium niobate electro-optic directional coupler modulator, an indium gallium arsenide phosphide-based TE-TM optical polarizer, an d a submicron metal-clad silica fiber suitable for near-held optical s canning microscopy is calculated. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.