Abstract

Observations were made on the ellipticity resulting when plane-polarized light was reflected from iron and nickel surfaces covered with oxide films continuously increasing in thickness through the temper-color range. It was found that the results could be interpreted by the assumption of multiple reflections occurring within the film. The method permits a determination of the thickness and average optical properties of the film and may apparently be applied to the accurate measurement of the rate of formation of a film of any composition on a metal surface through the temper-color range. The index of refraction of the film on iron was found to be complex and to have the value 2.13–i.41. The optical constants of pure iron were also found to vary with temperature in such a manner that n in the expression n(1−ix) increased with increasing temperature, while x decreased. It is further shown that the assumption of multiple reflections within the film gives the same results for thin films as the Drude transition layer theory.

© 1939 Optical Society of America

The Optical Properties of Semi-Transparent Sputtered Films Determined by Interference of Light

J. B. Nathanson and C. L. Bartberger
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 29(10) 417-426 (1939)

Optical Determination of Thin Films on Reflecting Bases in Transparent Environments

A. B. Winterbottom
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 38(12) 1074-1082 (1948)

Optical Properties and Oxidation of Evaporated Titanium Films*

Georg Hass and Alan P. Bradford
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 47(2) 125-129 (1957)

On Calculating the Optical Constants from Reflection Coefficients

Richard Tousey
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 29(6) 235-239 (1939)

Immersion Spectrophotometry of Interference Films: Refractive Indices of Fluoride Films on Uranium Dioxide and Anodic Oxide Films on Uranium Metal*

W. P. Ellis
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 53(5) 613-619 (1963)