Abstract

Parametric dispersion models for the optical constants of materials are often used when fitting optical data in order to reduce the required number of fit parameters and to eliminate the incorporation of random noise in the experimental data into the resulting optical constants. Such models are particularly useful when fitting data for transparent materials, where the absorption (or extinction coefficient or imaginary part of the dielectric function) can be assumed to be zero and only the index of refraction (or real part of the dielectric function) must be parameterized. Several parametric models for the dispersion of the index of refraction are reviewed. These models are fit to literature optical constants for a number of transparent materials (both dielectrics and semiconductor materials at energies below the bandgap). The relative usefulness of the various models is discussed as are internal correlations among the model parameters. Values of the parameters within the models are tabulated for a large number of dielectric and semiconductor materials.

© 1995 Optical Society of America