Abstract

The method of determining the optical constants of an absorbing material by overcoating the material with a dielectric film and measuring the magnitude and wavelength at which the reflectance extrema occur has been further examined. The assumption used in this method that the phase change on reflection is exactly 0 or π at a minimum or maximum, respectively, has been shown to be in error. Additionally it is shown that, even if the method is modified so that this assumption is not made, accurate values for high reflectance materials cannot be obtained due to the insensitivity of the wavelengths of the extrema to the optical constants of the substrate. For lower reflectance materials the method is found to be more accurate but still not of good accuracy.

© 1965 Optical Society of America

Use of an Evaporated Dielectric Film for Determining the Optical Constants of a Metal. I

Jean M. Bennett, E. J. Ashley, and H. E. Bennett
Appl. Opt. 4(8) 961-966 (1965)

Determination of optical constants of absorbing materials using transmission and reflection of thin films on partially metallized substrates: analysis of the new (T,Rm) technique

A. Hjortsberg
Appl. Opt. 20(7) 1254-1263 (1981)

Experimental Determination of the Optical Constants of Metals

A. C. Hall
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 55(8) 911-915 (1965)

Determining the optical constants of vacuum evaporated ii–vi compound thin films with optical waveguides

K. Sasaki, Y. Kudo, H. Watanabe, and O. Hamano
Appl. Opt. 20(21) 3715-3718 (1981)

Reflectometer for Determining Optical Constants

Roy F. Potter
Appl. Opt. 4(1) 53-57 (1965)