Optical electromagnetic vector-field modeling for the accurate analysis of finite diffractive structures of high complexity

An electromagnetic vector-field model for design of optical components based on the finite-difference time-domain method and radiation integrals is presented. Its ability to predict the optical electromagnetic dynamics in structures with complex material distributions is demonstrated. Theoretical and numerical investigations of finite-length surface-relief structures embedded in polymer dielectric waveguiding materials are presented. The importance of several geometric parameter dependencies is indicated as far-field power distributions are rearranged between diffraction orders. The influences of the variation in gracing period, modulation depth, length, and profile are investigated. (C) 1999 Optical Society of America.