265 Numerical Analysis of Nonlinear Bistable Optical Waveguides B.M. A. RAHMAN, stewnet, it, J. R. SOUZA, aND J. B. DAVIES, MEMBER, IEEE Absact—In tls eer we presen numeric! salations of nonineat cpt waveguides astaiog the onset of tay ad the Byte sis mtae Torte symmetrical step Inde, asymmetrical sep ides and ‘Symmetrical Ufo ab wavepedes. Two diferent mame ich re been independenly used Hate clement method (FEM) 1. Iermoovenion HE use of waveguides with nonlinear refractive indexes enriches considerably the phenomenon of guided wave propagation. Waveguides with nonlinear materials are capa- be ofa wide range of complex and potemially useful optical phenomena [1]. Under appropriate conditions guides can ex- hibit optical bistability and hysteresis that is of great potential use for fast optical switching and signal processing applica- Nonlinear waveguides can be analyzed by studying either the “modes” [2]-4] (as an eigenvalue problem) o the propa: {zation and evolution of waves [5]-{7] (88 an inital vale prob- Jem). For waveguides that are uniform in cross section, these methods are equivalent for linear material (by Fourier analy~ sis). Bu even with nonlinear indexes preset, the approach of modal analysis provides a fundamental sep in understanding the behaviour of waveguide propagation. It is with this under standing of the complementary nature of two approaches, each With its advantages and disadvantages, that a modal aralysis is here presented 1, Tuzony ‘A waveguide is taken to be defined by a refractive index. profile m(x, 9, [E)), and we seek modal solutions of the form: EG, ¥, 2,0 =e(x, »)exp jot ~ Bz) HG, ¥, 2.0 =hC, Yexpjlat ~ 82). Mansi ested December 6, 198. BUM. Av Raman is wi the Department of tal, eon, ant tnlomaion Expiring The Cay Uae. London ECIVOHB, Unit King TR Souza i with the Ini Mila de Enger, 22290 Ri de ant, Bra Tr, Dave with the Dpurtinotof loon and Elta! pincer Ing, Univers Caupe, London WCLE 16, Unt Kao, For linear media, where is field independent, finite elements have proved to be a versatile and powerful tal for this modal analysis (8), (91. To summarize the finite element method, the guide cross section is first suitably divided ino a patchwork of triangular subregions called elements. Each element can have different permeability wor permittivity e. The finite element variational formulation can be made via a full H vector field [9], which is “exact-in-he-limit™ and best suited for 2-D optical wave- [Eudes with hybrid modes, or the simpler approximate scalar formulation {8} ‘The socond variational method uses Gauss-Hermite func tions over the problem domain for each component of the three-vector H field. It also uses the Rayleigh-Ritz procedure to yield a standard eigenvalue problem. We have applied these ‘wo techniques completely independently. ‘As the guide refractive index distribution depends on the field imensty profile, therefore we have used an iterative scheme to seek a consistent solution. Initially the waveguide problem is solved without considering @ nonlinear contribu ‘The resulting field profile is scaled to the given total power level, and used to calculate the associated refractive index changes due to nonlinear contributions. Now the prob- Jem is solved agai, we obtain the field profile and then recal- calate the nonlinear refractive index contribution for the next iteration. This iteration scheme is continued until a consistent stable solution is obtained MI, Resuurs ‘Both these numerical techniques are writen forthe solution ‘of 2-D problems (with n(x, JE) dependence), but fo com- pre with some well documented published results we have chosen some typical I-D problems to test the validity und ac curacy of our methods, First, we have compared our results for a symmetrical waveguide where a linear guiding film is bounded on both sides by cladding and substrate layers which show an iden- tical sef-focusing nonlinearity. This type of structure has been studied extensively [2]. In this case the linear guide has the refractive index 1.57 and is bounded on both sides by identical nonlinear liquid crystal MBBA with refractive in- dex m= 155+ aS where n> is 10% mF/W and S is local ‘energy density in Wim?. The slab thickness has been consid- cred to be 1.25 jm. The wavelength considered throughout this paper i 0.515 jm and we have solely concentrated on the fandamental TEo mode. This symmetrical structure has two lypes of solution: first the symmetrical modes which can be 1041-1135)9010400-0265801.00 © 1990 IEEE266 Pg. Vision of he ftv indeace with al power for a sme ‘alae opt vege, or Ba forced mel ssn teal sation obtained for all the power range by forcing the symmetry con- ditions; second, when, the symmetry condition i not imposed, any asymmetry in the nonlinear contribution is allowed to de~ velop, then at higher power levels completely different doubly degenerate asymmetrical surface modes ae obtained (2) (5. In practical waveguides the development into one or other of the degenerate modes may arise from any minute asymmetry inthe waveguide or its excitation. Inthe pumerical solution, itis similarly caused by “numerical noise" (round-off). The resulting asymmetric mode is locally stable, both in practice and theory. ‘Using a numerical method, ovr results depend on the mesh divisions for FEM or on the number of basis fonctions for VM, but rapidly converge for fine resolution. Results by the ‘wo numerical methods agree very well for both symmetrical and asymmetrical modes, for increase or decrease of power, from below or above the threshold power. For the solution ‘without forced symmetry, as we increase the total guided ower, the guided mode abruptly switches to an asymmet- ric surface mode (Seetion C of Fig. 1). Now if we decrease the total power, the dispersion curve exhibits hysteresis and the surface mode abruptly switches to a guided mode (Section ‘D) ata lower power, For the forced symmetrical solution, it also shows a sharp transition at a higher power (also maintain: ing the symmetry condition) and also exhibits the hysteresis, ‘when the total power is reduced. These two methods agree well over the whole range including the onset ofthe syrmer- real to asymmetrical modes transition and again for the reset from asymmetrical 1 symmetrical modes. We have also plot ted results as rea from [2] a5 the dash-dot curve for compar: ison, The low-power stable section below the threshold power ‘agrees very well and near our forward threshold power shows the beginning of their unstable region, All thee methods also agree Very well for high power region above threshold, when the mode again becomes stable. ‘oth our mumerical techniques do not consider any phys ically unstable solution as we are looking for the consistent solutions where field profile and associated index profile are necessarily stable a the iteration scheme progresses. For total power below the threshold level, the iteration scheme quickly converges 10 a symmetrical mode [3]. For total power more [ess een than the threshold power, the iteration procedure first settles briefly to a symmetrical mode, then goes through an “unsta- ble" of transition region and then finally setles to a stable asymmetrical mode (3). The in-between unstable region ex- isis when the mode quickly evolves from a symmetrical guided mode to an asymmetrical surface mode, so that as the iter ation progresses both the field profile and the index profile ‘change and for one specific iteration the resultant field profile and its updated index profile ae no longer consistent. Sim larly other numerical techniques suchas the beam propagation method (BPM) also report the stationary and unstable tation ary solutions [5]. They have defined unstable stationary waves as the waves whose field distributions change with propaga- tion distance [6] (in the BPM, steps along the propagation distance are equivalent to our iteration scheme), [Next we have compared our techniques for an asymmetrical structure, with one nonlinear cladding region as given in [2] (Gee Fig. 2). Ths particular structure is similar tothe previous symmettcal one except that only one cladding layer is now nonlinear, and the slab thickness has been considered tobe 1.0 tum, Fortis asymmetrical structure as we inerease the power, the film guided mode transforms to surface modes along the ronlincar cladding and film interface. It shows only one pos- sible surface mode around the nonlinear cladding region. It shows a similar hysteresis Loop when the power is reduced and the surface mode transforms back to the film guided mode. [Again results by both our techniques agree very well forall power level, either for increasing or decreasing power, above fr below the threshold levels. They also agree very well for all the stale solutions as given by (2] but forthe region of the unstable solutions, which fits inside the hysteresis loop obtained by our methods. Last we have compared our techniques fora diffused guide, ‘where a Gaussian index distribution profile is assumed forthe ‘guide (see Fig. 3). Ths structure is similar to the previous ‘asymmetrical structure, with nonlinear region only asthe top cladding layer, but the index distribution between guide and substrate is gradual, following a Gaussian distribution profile with diffusion length 2.0 am, Again the agreement between ‘ur two techniques is excellent and it also shows clear agree ment between the forward and reverse threshold power with the onset and end of the unstable region of [4].<= i Secon | ‘Verto of the eve nde with tl perfor an aye hal itis noni opal wanes IV, Concussion ‘We have compared two independent numerical techniques {for the solution of nonlinear optical waveguides. The agree ment between themselves was excellent. They agreed very ‘well with stable solutions of (2) and (4) but clearly omit the unstable solutions of {2} and [4]. Although these physically ‘unstable solutions can be identified analytically, the stability ‘question hus been addressed recently both numerically and analytically [5]-[7], A sharp transition, as discussed above, from one stable stte to another stable state, has been do seribed both theoretically and experimentally (7, (10)-(13], and discussed as optical bistable devices. (ur techniques can be applied equally to 2 more realistic nonlinearity with saturation, or generally for nonKerr type ‘material itis also applicable to true 2-D optical waveguides with hybrid modes [9]. This versatility (of both our FEM and. YM approaches), especially to arbitrary 2-D cross sections, Js our proposed advantage. vances 11 GL Steg, . M. Weight, N. Finlayson, K, Zann and. Scan, The rer noir inert opts." J. Lipase Toh toto LT, pp. 953-90, 198 {ie by tin ek ins bounded y onic na." IEEE J ‘Quantum Elec QE, pp 7478, 1988, 8 " 6 o m 8 10) uy ry 08) BLM. A. aban and 3B. 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