INHOMOGENEOUS WAVE TYPES AT PLANAR INTERFACES - 3. LEAKY WAVES.

The rapidly developing field of integrated optics utilizes electromagnetic waves of the inhomogeneous type, which include lateral, surface and leaky waves. Whereas these waves have been widely used in the area of radio-wave technology, particularly in the microwave range, their application to optical devices is new. This work examines the pertinent inhomogeneous waves by stressing their physical features and outlining their relevance to current applications in optics. The lateral wave has already been considered in Part I left bracket Optik 36 (1972) 209 right bracket and surface waves have been discussed in Part II left bracket Optik 37 (1973) 204 right bracket . The present paper concludes this sequence of articles by considering leaky waves.