Analysis of the dielectric slab waveguide

Dielectric waveguides are widely used in optical communications systems, both in integrated optics and as transmission lines for off-chip interconnection. The dielectric slab waveguide can serve as a model in approximating the behavior of waveguides which have one cross-sectional dimension larger than the other, such as the strip waveguide or the channel waveguide. In this paper, the basic properties of a dielectric slab waveguide are explained, and some of the equations useful in describing the behavior of this type of structure are derived. The equations are then brought together in a computer program capable of determining various characteristics of a single layer guide, created as an aid in modeling of dielectric waveguides.