Reduced-order model technique for the analysis of anisotropic inhomogeneous media: application to liquid-crystal displays

Electromagnetic wave propagation in anisotropic inhomogeneous media is computed by a novel reduced-order model technique, which is based on the restriction of the Marcuvitz-Schwinger equations on Krylov subspaces and on the application of the singular-value decomposition. The model is derived from the standard coupled-wave method and includes both wide-angle diffraction and light scattering at dielectric interfaces. The method, currently implemented for two-dimensional problems, was applied to the analysis of different liquid-crystal test cells. Numerical results are compared with those obtained through the application of the coupled-wave method and the Jones method and with experimental microscopic measurements.