A synergistic approach to optical modeling of PCSELs through rigorous methods and the coupled-wave theory

Abstract

A wide range of numerical and semi-analytical approaches has been developed for optical modeling of photonic-crystal surface-emitting lasers (PCSELs). However, a systematic framework for comparing their predictive capabilities and identifying their respective validity limits remains largely unexplored. In this work, we introduce a comparative methodology in which four representative methods-including rigorous numerical and effective-index-based approaches-are analyzed and partially hybridized within a coupled-wave-theory framework. Using single- and double-lattice PCSELs as representative models, we demonstrate that this approach not only reveals fundamental differences between predictions of rigorous methods and the coupled-wave-theory framework, but also captures leaky and symmetry-broken phases of bound states in the continuum (BICs) relevant for laser operation.

The following article has been submitted to AIP Advances. After it is published, it will be found at pubs.aip.org/aip/adv