Bare and thin-film-coated substrates with null reflection for p- and s-polarized light at the same angle of incidence: reflectance and ellipsometric parameters as functions of substrate refractive index and film thickness.

Abstract

Intensity reflectances and ellipsometric parameters of a partially clad transparent substrate that suppresses the reflection of incident p- and s-polarized light at the same angle of incidence from uncoated and single-layer-coated areas are determined as functions of normalized film thickness ς and substrate refractive index n2. The common polarizing angle is the Brewster angle of the ambient-substrate interface, and the light beam incident from the ambient (air or vacuum) is refracted in the film at a 45° angle from the normal to the parallel-plane film boundaries. For n2≤2, the differential reflection phase shift Δ=δp-δs≈±90° for all values of ς so that the Brewster angle is also approximately the principal angle of the film-substrate system independent of film thickness. Accurate techniques for monitoring the deposition of such films are also proposed.