ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a scattering matrix method is used to investigate optical wave propagation through a one-dimensional (1D) multiblock structure. The optical wave propagation algorithm for the classical transfer matrix method suffers from numerical divergence when lossy dielectric or metallic materials are contained in the multiblock structure. The chapter analyses the S-matrix method will be applied to two-dimensional and three-dimensional multiblock optical structures in a straightforward manner. The concept and principle of the S-matrix method are elucidated for a 1D multiblock structure with detailed mathematics and working MATLAB® codes. The chapter explains the S-matrix analysis of a finite-sized single-block structure is studied, through which the definition of the S-matrix method. It presents practical applications of the S-matrix method to nanophotonics problems—surface plasmon resonance— with numerical simulation results. The S-matrix is a matrix having the reflection and transmission of a single-block structure as its elements, which includes complete information on the optical scattering properties of a single block.
