Overcoming the Contact Problem in Quantitative Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy Analysis of Flat Samples

A method for measuring the optical functions of a flat sample made of homogeneous and isotropic material, using attenuated total reflection spectroscopy when there is poor contact between the sample and the internal reflection element is presented. The approach consists in treating the spacing between the internal reflection element and the sample as an adjustable parameter, along with the dispersion model parameters, in the simultaneous fitting of s- and p-polarized spectra obtained when the gap distance is unknown. The method is tested with both synthetic and experimental (polystyrene) spectra. The results demonstrate the method's ability to accurately determine the optical functions even in the presence of a contact problem.