Spectroscopic generalized ellipsometry based on fourier analysis

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optics
• Solid State Physics

Background:

• Spectroscopic ellipsometry is crucial for characterizing optical properties.
• Anisotropic materials present unique challenges due to directional optical responses.
• Existing methods may require complex calculations or intermediate data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend spectroscopic ellipsometry to generalized ellipsometry for anisotropic media.
• To develop a method for direct determination of optical functions without intermediate generalized ellipsometric angles.
• To experimentally verify the proposed technique on a uniaxial anisotropic material.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a fixed polarizer, rotating polarizer, sample, and fixed analyzer (PRPSE) configuration.
• Developing a general numerical technique to characterize optical properties directly from Fourier coefficients.
• Experimentally validating the method on mercuric iodide (HgI2) crystals.

Main Results:

• The PRPSE configuration effectively eliminates light source polarization sensitivity.
• Direct extraction of ordinary and extraordinary refractive and absorption indices (N(o), N(e)) from measured Fourier coefficients.
• Accurate determination of the optical axis orientation relative to the plane of incidence.

Conclusions:

• The proposed PRPSE-based method provides a direct and efficient way to determine optical functions of anisotropic materials.
• Experimental verification on HgI2 confirms the technique's validity and accuracy.
• This advancement simplifies the characterization of anisotropic optical properties.