title: Solving dielectric and plasmonic waveguide dispersion relations on a pocket calculator.
abstract: We present a robust iterative technique for solving complex transcendental dispersion equations routinely encountered in integrated optics. Our method especially befits the multilayer dielectric and plasmonic waveguides forming the basis structures for a host of contemporary nanophotonic devices. The solution algorithm ports seamlessly from the real to the complex domain--i.e., no extra complexity results when dealing with leaky structures or those with material/metal loss. Unlike several existing numerical approaches, our algorithm exhibits markedly-reduced sensitivity to the initial guess and allows for straightforward implementation on a pocket calculator.
authors.affiliation: Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Rohan D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kekatpure
authors.forename: Aaron C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Hryciw
authors.forename: Edward S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Barnard
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Brongersma
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D034201:Computers, Handheld; D008027:Light; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000379:methods*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012984:Software; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000379:methods*