Time-explicit simulation of wave interaction in optical waveguide crossings at large angles

The time-explicit finite-difference time-domain method is used to simulate wave interaction in optical waveguide crossings at large angles. The wave propagation at the intersecting structure is simulated by time stepping the discretized form of the Maxwell's time dependent curl equations. The power distribution characteristics of the intersections are obtained by extracting the guided-mode amplitudes from these simulated total field data. A physical picture of power flow in the intersection is also obtained from the total field solution; this provides insights into the switching behavior and the origin of the radiations.