Abstract

Most of the models for absorption in a dielectric material are based on the harmonic oscillator equations, which lead to expressions for the dispersion of the extinction coefficient k which involve several parameters. For the simple interpolation of k over short-wavelength ranges, a two-parameter dispersion relationship is desirable. Several different two-parameter expressions have been used to model the variation in k for a typical zirconia film, and the best fit to the measured data was a function of the form k = a exp(bσ), where σ is the wave number given in terms of the wavelength λ by σ = 1/λ. Various other functional forms for k are presented for comparison. The exponential model is especially useful in the determination of optical constants of coating materials from spectral scans.

© 1986 Optical Society of America