Optical waveguide refractive index profiles determined from measurement of mode indices: a simple analysis.

The WKB approximation is used to derive simple equations that predict the shape of the index profile from measured mode indices of a planar optical waveguide. This nondestructive test is a useful tool in the study of diffused guides. The index profile is assumed either to decrease monotonically from the surface or to be symmetrical in the case of a buried guide. The approximation uses straight line segments to connect the measured points. Results are compared with mathematical solutions for exponential, Fermi, and step distributions and with other independent experimental observations of the profile in a nickel-diffused LiNbO(3) guide.