Fourier coupled modal method for parallel modal analysis of photonic structures

Area of Science:

• Computational photonics
• Numerical analysis
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Analyzing large-scale photonic structures is computationally intensive.
• Existing methods like the conventional Fourier Modal Method (FMM) can be limited in scalability.
• Coupled Mode Theory (CMT) provides a framework for understanding light propagation in structured media.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Fourier Coupled Modal Method (FCMM) as a novel numerical technique.
• To demonstrate the inherent parallelism and scalability of the FCMM for photonic structure analysis.
• To validate the FCMM's accuracy and efficiency against the conventional FMM.

Main Methods:

• Integration of Coupled Mode Theory (CMT) within the Fourier Modal Method (FMM) framework.
• Implementation of spatial partitioning to achieve parallel computation.
• Development and detailed description of the FCMM numerical framework.

Main Results:

• The FCMM exhibits inherent parallelism, significantly enhancing computational efficiency for large-scale problems.
• Spatial partitioning and Fourier modal field computation facilitate this parallelization.
• Comparative studies validate the FCMM against the conventional FMM, confirming its accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The FCMM offers a computationally efficient and scalable solution for analyzing complex photonic structures.
• The method's parallel nature makes it suitable for tackling large-scale electromagnetic simulations.
• FCMM represents a significant advancement in numerical methods for photonic device design and analysis.