Time-domain 2D modeling of slab-waveguide-based photonic-crystal devices in the presence of radiation losses

Devices based on two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals (PCs) arc typically realized as 3D structures consisting of an array of holes (or rods) vertically etched through a slab waveguide. The existence of holes in a slob waveguide may induce strong radiation losses to the slab claddings. Exact modeling of devices affected by such losses requires 3D calculations. In the present Letter, with the use of the effective-index method to account for the vertical confinement and the effective losses method by the nonvanishing conductivity, the 3D modeling is reduced into 2D. It is then shown that good agreement with experiments can be obtained for slab-waveguide-based photonic crystal devices. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.