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Updated: May 12, 2026

Evanescent Field Based Photoacoustics: Optical Property Evaluation at Surfaces
Published on: July 26, 2016
Sensitivity enhancement for evanescent-wave sensing using cavity-ring-down ellipsometry
Dimitris Sofikitis1, Katerina Stamataki, Michael A Everest
1Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion-Crete 71110, Greece.
Abstract:
We demonstrate a method to increase the sensitivity of the s-p phase shift under total internal reflection (TIR) for optical sensing. This is achieved by the introduction of two simple dielectric layers to the TIR surface of a fused silica prism. The enhanced sensitivity is demonstrated using evanescent-wave cavity-ring-down-ellipsometry by measuring the refractive index of liquid mixtures and by studying the adsorption of polymers to the TIR surface of the fused silica prism.

