Improved formulation of the coupled-wave method for two-dimensional gratings

A new formulation of the coupled-wave method for two-dimensional gratings is proposed. It is based on mathematical and physical results recently obtained for one-dimensional gratings. Numerical evidence obtained for many different diffraction problems, including dielectric, metallic, volume, and surface-relief gratings, shows that the new formulation outperforms the conventional one in terms of convergence rates. The specific case of gratings with very small thickness, for which opposite conclusions on the convergence performance are obtained, is studied and explained. The methodology can be applied to other numerical techniques that rely on Fourier expansions of the electromagnetic fields and on grating parameters such as the permittivity and the permeability.