diff --git a/crates/spirv_backend/src/lib.rs b/crates/spirv_backend/src/lib.rs
index 6fcd8f7..8e223f2 100644
--- a/crates/spirv_backend/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/spirv_backend/src/lib.rs
@@ -39,10 +39,9 @@ fn step_h<R: Real, M: Material<R>>(
 ) {
     if id.x() < meta.dim.x() && id.y() < meta.dim.y() && id.z() < meta.dim.z() {
         let sim_state = SerializedStepH::new(meta, stimulus_h, material, e, h, m);
-        let (update_state, mut out_h, mut out_m) = sim_state.index(id);
+        let update_state = sim_state.index(id);
         let (new_h, new_m) = update_state.step_h();
-        out_h.write(new_h);
-        out_m.write(new_m);
+        sim_state.write_output(id, new_h, new_m);
     }
 }
 
@@ -57,9 +56,9 @@ fn step_e<R: Real, M: Material<R>>(
     if id.x() < meta.dim.x() && id.y() < meta.dim.y() && id.z() < meta.dim.z() {
         let sim_state = SerializedStepE::new(meta, stimulus_e, material, e, h);
 
-        let (update_state, mut out_e) = sim_state.index(id);
+        let update_state = sim_state.index(id);
         let new_e = update_state.step_e();
-        out_e.write(new_e);
+        sim_state.write_output(id, new_e);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/spirv_backend/src/sim.rs b/crates/spirv_backend/src/sim.rs
index f5d3be4..c3c6d48 100644
--- a/crates/spirv_backend/src/sim.rs
+++ b/crates/spirv_backend/src/sim.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // use spirv_std::RuntimeArray;
 use crate::support::{
-    Array3, Array3Mut, ArrayHandle, ArrayHandleMut, Optional, UnsizedArray
+    Array3, Array3Mut, Optional, UnsizedArray
 };
 use coremem_types::mat::Material;
 use coremem_types::real::Real;
@@ -41,19 +41,14 @@ impl<'a, R, M> SerializedStepH<'a, R, M> {
 }
 
 impl<'a, R: Real, M> SerializedStepH<'a, R, M> {
-    /// returns a context which the user can call `step_h` on,
-    /// plus output handles which the the results can be written to.
-    pub fn index(self, idx: Vec3u) -> (
-        StepHContext<'a, R, M>,
-        ArrayHandleMut<'a, Vec3<R>>, // out_h
-        ArrayHandleMut<'a, Vec3<R>>, // out_m
-    ){
+    /// returns a context which the user can call `step_h` on
+    pub fn index(&self, idx: Vec3u) -> StepHContext<'a, R, M> {
         let dim = self.meta.dim;
         let stim_h_matrix = Array3::new(self.stimulus_h, dim);
         let mat_matrix = Array3::new(self.material, dim);
         let e = Array3::new(self.e, dim);
-        let h = Array3Mut::new(self.h, dim);
-        let m = Array3Mut::new(self.m, dim);
+        let h = Array3::new(self.h, dim);
+        let m = Array3::new(self.m, dim);
 
         let in_e = VolumeSamplePos {
             mid: e.get(idx).unwrap(),
@@ -61,24 +56,30 @@ impl<'a, R: Real, M> SerializedStepH<'a, R, M> {
             yp1: e.get(idx + Vec3u::unit_y()),
             zp1: e.get(idx + Vec3u::unit_z()),
         };
-        let out_h = h.into_mut_handle(idx);
-        let out_m = m.into_mut_handle(idx);
+        let in_h = h.get(idx).unwrap();
+        let in_m = m.get(idx).unwrap();
 
-        let mat = mat_matrix.into_handle(idx);
+        let mat = mat_matrix.into_ref(idx);
 
-        (
-            StepHContext {
-                inv_feature_size: self.meta.inv_feature_size,
-                time_step: self.meta.time_step,
-                stim_h: stim_h_matrix.get(idx).unwrap(),
-                mat,
-                in_e,
-                in_h: out_h.get(),
-                in_m: out_m.get(),
-            },
-            out_h,
-            out_m,
-        )
+        StepHContext {
+            inv_feature_size: self.meta.inv_feature_size,
+            time_step: self.meta.time_step,
+            stim_h: stim_h_matrix.get(idx).unwrap(),
+            mat,
+            in_e,
+            in_h,
+            in_m,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn write_output(self, idx: Vec3u, h: Vec3<R>, m: Vec3<R>) {
+        let dim = self.meta.dim;
+        let arr_h = Array3Mut::new(self.h, dim);
+        let arr_m = Array3Mut::new(self.m, dim);
+        let mut out_h = arr_h.into_mut_handle(idx);
+        let mut out_m = arr_m.into_mut_handle(idx);
+        out_h.write(h);
+        out_m.write(m);
     }
 }
 
@@ -106,14 +107,11 @@ impl<'a, R, M> SerializedStepE<'a, R, M> {
 }
 
 impl<'a, R: Real, M> SerializedStepE<'a, R, M> {
-    pub fn index(self, idx: Vec3u) -> (
-        StepEContext<'a, R, M>,
-        ArrayHandleMut<'a, Vec3<R>> // out_e
-    ){
+    pub fn index(&self, idx: Vec3u) -> StepEContext<'a, R, M> {
         let dim = self.meta.dim;
         let stim_e_matrix = Array3::new(self.stimulus_e, dim);
         let mat_matrix = Array3::new(self.material, dim);
-        let e = Array3Mut::new(self.e, dim);
+        let e = Array3::new(self.e, dim);
         let h = Array3::new(self.h, dim);
 
         let xm1 = if idx.x() == 0 {
@@ -138,21 +136,25 @@ impl<'a, R: Real, M> SerializedStepE<'a, R, M> {
             ym1,
             zm1,
         };
-        let out_e = e.into_mut_handle(idx);
+        let in_e = e.get(idx).unwrap();
 
-        let mat = mat_matrix.into_handle(idx);
+        let mat = mat_matrix.into_ref(idx);
 
-        (
-            StepEContext {
-                inv_feature_size: self.meta.inv_feature_size,
-                time_step: self.meta.time_step,
-                stim_e: stim_e_matrix.get(idx).unwrap(),
-                mat,
-                in_h,
-                in_e: out_e.get(),
-            },
-            out_e,
-        )
+        StepEContext {
+            inv_feature_size: self.meta.inv_feature_size,
+            time_step: self.meta.time_step,
+            stim_e: stim_e_matrix.get(idx).unwrap(),
+            mat,
+            in_h,
+            in_e,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn write_output(self, idx: Vec3u, e: Vec3<R>) {
+        let dim = self.meta.dim;
+        let arr_e = Array3Mut::new(self.e, dim);
+        let mut out_e = arr_e.into_mut_handle(idx);
+        out_e.write(e);
     }
 }
 
@@ -292,7 +294,7 @@ pub struct StepEContext<'a, R, M> {
     inv_feature_size: R,
     time_step: R,
     stim_e: Vec3<R>,
-    mat: ArrayHandle<'a, M>,
+    mat: &'a M,
     /// Input field sampled near this location
     in_h: VolumeSampleNeg<R>,
     in_e: Vec3<R>,
@@ -307,7 +309,7 @@ impl<'a, R: Real, M: Material<R>> StepEContext<'a, R, M> {
         // $\nabla x H = \epsilon_0 dE/dt + \sigma E$
         // no-conductivity version:
         //   let delta_e = nabla_h * (self.time_step * EPS0_INV);
-        let sigma = self.mat.get_ref().conductivity();
+        let sigma = self.mat.conductivity();
         let e_prev = self.in_e;
         let delta_e = (nabla_h - e_prev.elem_mul(sigma)).elem_div(
             sigma*self.time_step + Vec3::uniform(twice_eps0)
@@ -322,7 +324,7 @@ pub struct StepHContext<'a, R, M> {
     inv_feature_size: R,
     time_step: R,
     stim_h: Vec3<R>,
-    mat: ArrayHandle<'a, M>,
+    mat: &'a M,
     /// Input field sampled near this location
     in_e: VolumeSamplePos<R>,
     in_h: Vec3<R>,
@@ -346,7 +348,7 @@ impl<'a, R: Real, M: Material<R>> StepHContext<'a, R, M> {
         let old_b = (old_h + old_m) * mu0;
 
         let new_b = old_b + delta_b + self.stim_h * mu0;
-        let mat = self.mat.get_ref();
+        let mat = self.mat;
         let new_m = mat.move_b_vec(old_m, new_b);
         let new_h = new_b * mu0_inv - new_m;
         // println!("spirv-step_h delta_h: {:?}", delta_h);
diff --git a/crates/spirv_backend/src/support.rs b/crates/spirv_backend/src/support.rs
index 34eb203..fb07c13 100644
--- a/crates/spirv_backend/src/support.rs
+++ b/crates/spirv_backend/src/support.rs
@@ -211,6 +211,13 @@ impl<'a, T> Array3<'a, T> {
             self.data.get_handle(idx)
         }
     }
+
+    pub fn into_ref(self, idx: Vec3u) -> &'a T {
+        let idx = checked_index(idx, self.dim).unwrap();
+        unsafe {
+            self.data.index_ref(idx)
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 impl<'a, T: Copy + Default> Array3<'a, T> {