Abstract
In this work we analyze the stochastic scattering loss in silicon-on-insulator (Si/SiO2) waveguides represented by symmetric dielectric slab waveguides exhibiting exponential and uncorrelated surface roughness, operating in the transverse electric mode at optical frequencies (wavelength lambda = 1.54 mu m). We use the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to simulate hundreds of rough waveguides, and compare those results with loss from previously established planar analytical equations by [1]. The data and analysis point to a modification of the loss equation in [1], [3] that reduces the error in scattering loss between the analytical equation and the FDTD simulations by up to approx 30%.