Laser diagnostics of nanoscale dielectric films on transparent substrate by integrating differential reflectivity and ellipsometry

The effect of nanometer dielectric films on the differential reflection characteristics of linearly polarized light from non-absorbing materials is investigated in the long-wavelength approximation. The second-order formulas for changes in the reflectance of s- and p-polarized light caused by ultrathin layer are obtained. A detailed analysis of the influence of ultrathin film to the reflectivity of p-polarized light in the vicinity of the Brewster angle is carried out. The novel methods are developed for determining the thickness and refractive index of uniform (or the average values of refractive index of nonuniform) nanometer-scale films by differential reflectivity and ellipsometric measurements.     

A method for measuring two-dimensional refractive index distribution with the total internal reflection of p-polarized light and the phase-shifting interferometry

Based on the total internal reflection of p-polarized light and the phase-shifting interferometry, an alternative method for measuring the two-dimensional refractive index distribution of a material is presented. The p-polarized light is incident on the boundary between a right-angle prism and a tested material. When the total internal reflection occurs at the boundary, and the p-polarized light has a phase variation. It depends on the refractive index of the tested material. Firstly, the two-dimensional phase variation distribution of the p-polarized light at the boundary is measured by the four-step phase shifting interferometric technique. Then, substituting the data into the special equations derived from Fresnel equations, the two-dimensional refractive index distribution of the tested material can be obtained.     

Polarization characteristics and magneto-optic diffraction efficiency at oblique light incidence

In a great number of papers that deal with the study of the magneto-optic diffraction (MOD), theoretical analysis and interpretation of experimental data are performed without regard for reflection effects of the incident and diffracted light beams on the entrance and exit surfaces of the transparent film. In consequence the MOD parameters are not connected with the angle of light incidence and the orientation of the incident light polarization plane. In the present work the reflection effects are taken into account. For the Raman-Nat diffraction region the general expressions involving the relationships of diffracted light polarization and intensity with the symmetry of the grating, angle of incidence and polarization of the incident light are obtained. In particular it is shown that even for a symmetrical grating the polarization of the zeroth-order diffracted beam differs from that of the incident light, and the polarization of higher-order beams differs from the orthogonal one providing that the incident light is not s- or p-polarized. A maximum in the angular dependence of diffraction efficiency is predicted being observed experimentally.     

On the angular dependence of gaps in 1-D Si/SiO2 periodic structures

A multilayer of silicon and silicon dioxide was used to study the angular dependence of reflectance maxima originating from interference and bulk optical properties. Silicon dioxide has a lattice resonance in the infrared causing an interval of high reflectance for wavelengths around 9 μm. The multilayer was designed such that the interference maxima do not overlap/interact with the material related reflectance maximum. In this way the different angular behavior for the two types of reflectance maxima can be studied simultaneously. Experimental and calculated reflectance spectra for s- and p-polarized light for angles of incidence between 0° and 90° collected for every 5° are presented. The reflectance features caused by interference generally move to shorter wavelengths with increasing angle of incidence, and the materials related peak is widened for (s-polarized light) and excitation of the longitudinal modes was observed for p-polarized light.     

Asymmetry reversal in the reflection from a two-dimensional photonic crystal

The measured, angle-dependent, reflection spectra of a two-dimensional GaAs photonic crystal consist of an asymmetric peak on top of an oscillating background. At large angles of incidence (>70 degrees), the asymmetry of the peak is observed to flip for p-polarized light. We explain the observed spectra with a Fano model that includes loss and interference between a resonant waveguide component and direct Fresnel reflection of the layered structure. We show that the reversal of the asymmetry of the line is due to a change in sign of the direct reflection at Brewster's angle.     

Reflection refractometry for nearly normal incidence and at the Brewster angle

We consider and experimentally study two reflection refractometry methods involving reflection of light from the optical surface of a material for nearly normal incidence and for incidence at the Brewster angle. We analyze the sources of error in the methods, and show that it is possible to use laser radiation to measure the refractive index of materials to four decimal places. We note the advantages of the methods in preparing samples for measurements in the case of solid, liquid, film, and weakly absorbing materials.     

光波p分量在单轴晶体表面反射和折射的相位特性

根据单轴晶体的双折射和双反射性质,通过数值计算研究了光轴在入射面内并与晶体界面成任意角时光波p分量在单轴晶体表面反射和折射的相位特性.结果表明,光轴取向对相位变化有较大影响,光从光疏各向同性介质射入单轴晶体时,光轴方向改变反射光p分量的相位突变点,但对折射光p分量相位无影响.光从光密各向同性介质射入单轴晶体未发生全反射时,光轴方向同时影响p分量反射光和折射光的相位突变|发生全反射后,光轴方向影响反射光p分量的相位变化曲线.从单轴晶体出射到光疏各向同性介质未发生全反射时,光轴方向改变反射光p分量的相位跃变规律,折射光p分量在光轴方向和晶面成小角度时在布儒斯特角附近发生相位突变|发生全反射后,反射光p分量的相位变化曲线随光轴方向的改变发生较大变化.     

Artificial polarization anomalies from holographic gratings

An aluminum reflection grating made holographically was found to display polarization anomalies when illuminated with p-polarized light. Additional anomalies were detected for both p- and s-polarizations after the grating was coated with a layer of dielectric (410 nm of photoresist). These new anomalies have been interpreted in terms of the optical guided modes of a thin film dielectric waveguide bounded on one side by metal and on the other by vacuum.     

偶氮苯聚合物薄膜光致六角对称微结构

利用前向箭并四波混频光路,在偶氮苯聚合物薄膜表面制作出六角对称的晶体微结构,观察到多个相位共轭波,当三束入射光都处在p偏振态时,在样品表面可得到一维光栅,当三束入射光中有一束在p偏振态,另两束在s偏振态时,在样品表面上得到的是六角对称微结构,这一结果表明,光场强度周期性变化及光场偏振态对晶格微结构的形成非常重要。     

Second harmonic generation of light in the Kretschmann attenuated total reflection geometry in the presence of surface roughness

Abstract

Using a computer simulation approach we study the generation of second harmonic light in reflection and in transmission in the Kretschmann attenuated total reflection geometry. In this geometry a thin metal film is deposited on the planar base of a dielectric prism, through which p-polarized light is incident on the film. The back surface of the film, which separates the film from vacuum, is a one-dimensional, randomly rough surface, whose generators are normal to the plane of incidence of the light. The nonlinearity responsible for the second harmonic generation is assumed to arise at the prism-metal and metal–vacuum interfaces, and thus enters the problem only through the boundary conditions at these interfaces at the harmonic frequency. The source terms entering these boundary conditions are obtained from the solutions of the corresponding scattering and transmission problems at the fundamental frequency. It is found that a peak in the angular dependence of the intensity of both the transmitted and reflected second harmonic light occurs in the directions normal to the mean scattering surface, in addition to an enhanced backscattering peak in the retroreflection direction. The enhanced transmission peak occurs in the non-radiative region, and therefore cannot be observed in the far field.     

Optical diagnostics of nanoscale dielectric layers on interference films by polarization-dependent differential reflectivity

The small change in the reflectance (differential reflectance) of s- or p-polarized light from an interference film as a result of the deposition of a nanoscale insulating layer on it is investigated theoretically. Analytical relations describing the contribution of nanoscale layers to the reflectance from an interference film as function of film thickness are obtained in the long-wavelength approximation. It is shown that the utilization of interference films in reflection diagnostics through differential measurements allows a significant enhancement of the sensitivity of these techniques and also opens up new possibilities for resolving the inverse problem of determining simultaneously the optical constant and thickness of nanoscale dielectric layers.     

Design of transverse magnetic-reflected polarizing film

We propose a wideband transverse magnetic-reflected polarizing film composed of Cr and SiO2. Based on the polarization characteristics of reflected light from Cr/SiO2 film, the film can serves as a polarizer to severely attenuate the transverse electric （TE）-polarized light and reflect the transverse magnetic （TM）- polarized light in a wavelength range from 600 to 900 nm. By suitably choosing the film thicknesses, the operation angles of such polarizers can be adjusted over a wide angle range greater than the critical angle of total reflection. Cr/SiO2 film has potential use in surface plasmon resonance （SPR） sensors based on Kretchmann configuration to form integrated structures.     

Enhanced polarization conversion for an anisotropic thin film

This work presents an explicit expression for the reflection and transmission coefficients of an anisotropic thin film in the general case in which the optical axis and the incident ray are arbitrarily directed in three dimensions. The polarization conversion quantities for reflected light from an anisotropic thin film are calculated and analyzed for two three-layered systems. With light incident from a dense medium, polarization conversion will be enhanced at a particular incident angle that exceeds the critical angle.     

Optical properties of thin films and the Berreman effect

The measurement of reflection and transmission of normally incident light to obtain the optical constants of a material is a usual tool in solid-state spectroscopy. If the material under investigation is a thin film, the interaction of the electromagnetic field with the sample can be enhanced by oblique incidence. If the light is p-polarized, structures in the reflection and transmission spectra are observed at the frequencies of transverse (TO) and longitudinal (LO) resonances. The LO structure — called the Berreman effect — is generated by the surface charges due to the normal component of the electric field. We discuss this effect for three cases: a free film, a film with a metallic back and a substrate with thin films on both sides. The dependence of the effect on the energy-loss function Im {–1/} and on the film thickness is discussed. For idealized systems simple formulae are derived and a characteristic parameter, called the Berreman thickness, is obtained. Films of this thickness show a maximum effect. Intuitive arguments are given to explain the effect. Examples for the application of the Berreman effect to characterize very thin films are discussed.     

Depolarization of backscattered linearly polarized light from ZnO thin film

The depolarization behavior of backscattered linearly polarized light from ZnO thin film was investigated experimentally. The results show that the characteristics are related to both the polarization orientation and wavelength of linearly polarized incident light. When the incident light is s-polarized, the depolarization behaviors are different for different wavelengths. When the incident light is p-polarized, the depolarization behaviors, on the contrary, are similar for different wavelengths. In addition, there is an optimal incident angle for depolarization of linearly polarized light with different wavelengths, which is equal to their effective Brewster angles, respectively.     

New method for determining the optical constants by the angular modulation of reflectance

A new method is proposed here for measuring the optical constants of solids. The method is based on measuring the change of the derivative of reflectance with the angle of incidence Θ of p-polarized light for different Θ around the pseudo-Brewster angle. The accuracy of the method has been checked by determining the optical constants of some transparent and opaque materials. The method seems very sensitive to the presence of thin oxide layers and it is also expected to be useful in determining oxide thicknesses.     

Direct observation of a propagating, planar-waveguide surface mode in a discontinuous film of metal nanoparticles

We report the observation of p-polarized guided waves that propagate confined to the surface of a two-dimensional array of silver (Ag) nanoparticles of average particle diameter and film thickness of approximately 400 and 154 nm, respectively, and comparable interparticle spacing. We interpret resonant features in the attenuated total reflection angular spectrum as arising from the excitation of guided waves in our discontinuous samples. The excitation of these waves is a direct consequence of the interaction of the light field with the localized resonance of the conduction electrons in the individual metal nanoparticles.     

入射角对Al0.5Ga0.5As-AlAs分布布拉格反射器反射光谱的影响

采用传输矩阵法对Al0.5Ga0.5As-AlAs材料的发光二极管分布布拉格反射器进行入射角的反射光谱研究,计算发现反射偏振光p和s随入射角的增大呈“V”形变化,在49.8°处有最小反射值。不同入射介质[以空气和限制层(Al0.7Ga0.3)0.5In0.5P材料]下的反射光谱受入射角的影响差异很大,其中入射角对空气入射介质的反射谱影响较小,由0°入射的反射率88.13%降至45°的84.94%,反射峰值波长蓝移仅10 nm;但入射角对(Al0.7Ga0.3)0.5In0.5P入射介质的反射谱影响很大,仅从0°到45°入射,反射率降幅就超过45%,反射峰值波长蓝移超过127 nm。为了减缓这种影响,提出了多波长布拉格反射器结构设计。计算表明多波长分布布拉格反射器在0ο~45°的入射角内比传统的分布布拉格反射器有更好的光谱特性,这对提高发光二极管的出光效率有现实意义。     

Use of thermal imaging to characterize laser light reflection from thermoplastics as a function of thickness,laser incidence angle and surface roughness

Laser light reflection during the laser transmission welding (LTW) of thermoplastics has the potential to overheat and/or cause unintentional welding of adjacent features of the part being welded. For this reason, and in order to assess how much light is being absorbed by the transparent part (after measurement of the light transmitted through the transparent part), it is important to be able to quantify the magnitude and distribution of reflected light. The magnitude and distribution of the reflected light depends on the total laser input power as well as its distribution, the laser incidence angle (angle between the normal to the transparent part surface and the laser beam), the laser light polarization as well as the surface and optical properties of the transparent part. A novel technique based on thermal imaging of the reflected light was previously developed by the authors. It is used in this study to characterize the magnitude and distribution of reflected light from thermoplastics as a function of thickness (1–3.1 mm), laser incidence angle (20–40°) and surface roughness (0.04–1.04 μm). Results from reflection tests on nearly polished nylon 6 (surface roughness between 0.04 and 0.05 μm) have shown that, for the various thicknesses tested (1–3.1 mm), the total reflection was larger than the specular top surface reflection predicted via the Fresnel relation. From these observations, it is conjectured that, in addition to top surface reflection, the bulk and/or bottom surface also contribute to the total reflection. The results also showed that reflection decreased slightly with increasing thickness. As expected, for the p-polarized light used in this study, the reflection decreased with increasing angle of incidence for the range of angles studied. It was also found that when the surface roughness was close to zero and when it was close to the wavelength of the input laser beam (i.e. 940 nm), the reflectance values were close and reached a minimum between these two roughness values.     

用于投影显示的分色合色膜系的消偏振设计

由于斜入射时,光学薄膜存在一定的偏振效应,将产生S-和P-偏振光的光谱分离.在Philips棱镜系统中,分色合色膜系通常分色时对S-光应用,合色时则对P-光应用.从提高光能利用率、减少杂散光和增加系统对比度等因素综合考虑,要求分色合色膜系的S-和P-偏振光的分离尽可能小.新设计方法采用宽带法布里－珀罗薄膜干涉滤光片中心波长两侧的干涉带作为长波通或短波通截止滤光片,可实现S-和P-偏振分量的分离几乎为零.