Hybrid finite-element/rigorous coupled wave analysis for scattering from three-dimensional doubly periodic structures

A new hybrid finite-element/rigorous coupled wave analysis formulation is presented for the modeling of electromagnetic wave interactions with doubly periodic structures. The structures under investigation are periodic in two dimensions and have a finite extent in the third dimension. The proposed model can handle structures that have material properties varying arbitrarily in any of the dimensions within the unit cell. Employment of Fourier series expansion and Floquet's theory in one of the periodic dimensions helps to reduce the dimension of the mesh. Results obtained from alternative methods are used to verify the proposed method's validity.