Determination of the Optical Constants of Uniaxial or Isotropic Metals by Measurement of Reflectance Ratios*

Abstract

A method is described for determining the optical constants of uniaxial cyrstals, or isotropic specimens, from measurement of the relative flux of light reflected at three angles of incidence. Only a single, fixed, polarizer is required. The optical constants of single crystals of Cd, Mg, and white Sn, and polycrystalline specimens of Cr, Hf, Ni, and Zr, within the range 2 to 5.6 eV, are presented and briefly discussed. Energy-loss functions are given for Cd, Mg, and white Sn. For some of these metals the new results are compared with those obtained previously using the ellipsometric technique.