Process / pipelineComputational

Rigorous Coupled-Wave Analysis

Rigorous Coupled-Wave Analysis is a semi-analytical computational method for solving Maxwell's equations in periodic structures such as diffraction gratings and photonic crystals. Developed by Moharam and Gaylord in 1981, RCWA expands the electromagnetic fields in each periodic region into Fourier series and couples the fields at interfaces, enabling accurate and efficient simulation of light diffraction, resonances, and wave propagation in structured media.

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Sources

  1. Moharam, M. G., & Gaylord, T. K. (1981). Rigorous coupled-wave analysis of planar-grating diffraction. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 71(7), 811-818. DOI: 10.1364/JOSA.71.000811
  2. Gaylord, T. K., & Moharam, M. G. (1985). Analysis and applications of optical diffraction by gratings. Proceedings of the IEEE, 73(5), 894-937. DOI: 10.1109/PROC.1985.13220
  3. Li, L. (1997). Use of Fourier series in the analysis of discontinuous periodic structures. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 14(11), 2758-2767. DOI: 10.1364/JOSAA.14.002758

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Referenced by

ScholarGateRCWA (Rigorous Coupled-Wave Analysis). Retrieved 2026-06-04 from https://scholargate.app/en/optics/rcwa