Optical constants determination of neodymium and gadolinium in the 3-nm to 100-nm wavelength range

Abstract

The optical constants (n, k) of the wavelength-dependent index of refraction N = n+ik = 1-δ+ik of Nd (Neodymium) and Gd (Gadolinium) are determined in the wavelength range of 3 nm to 100 nm by the transmittance method using synchrotron radiation. Nd and Gd films with thicknesses ranging from 5 nm to 180 nm were fabricated on Si photodiodes (which served as the coating substrates as well as the detectors) and capped with Si layers to protect these reactive rare earth elements from oxidation. The imaginary part (k) obtained directly from the transmittance measurement is used in the derivation of the real part (δ) of the complex index of refraction N through the Kramers- Kronig integral. The measured optical constants are used in the design of currently developed Nd- and Gd-based multilayers for solar imaging applications. Our results on Nd and Gd optical constants and the reflectance of some Nd- and Gd-based multilayers are presented.