Exceptional points in periodic array of silicon rods

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0173550

We find numerically the complex eigenvalues in grating composed of infinitely long silicon rods of rectangular cross section and show existence of exceptional points (EPs) in parametric space of structural scales and wave vector along the rods. The EPs have sufficiently small imaginary parts due to their proximity to bound states in the continuum. This enables to trace the resonant frequencies in the transmission around the EP and, accordingly, to identify the EP by bifurcation of the transmission. We present generic coupled mode theory to elucidate this effect. We also show that structural fluctuations of grating preserve EP but obscures their observation because of inhomogeneous broadening of transmission peaks.