Article
Transmission Measurements Of Polymer Thin Films
January 13, 2012
Transmission measurements can be used to study the composition, color, and even the impurities in a material. When that material is formed into a thin sheet of uniform thickness, transmission measurements also can be used to study the material's index of refraction or thickness. The key is an optical phenomenon called thin film interference – the same effect that causes soap bubbles to shimmer with a rainbow of colors when illuminated. In this experiment, thin polymer sheets were analyzed using a NIRQuest512 to determine their thicknesses.
Thin film interference occurs when light reflects from two parallel surfaces and those light rays interfere constructively and destructively. The resulting transmission spectrum then has a sinusoidal pattern of interference called "fringes" superimposed on it.
The content you requested is only available to registered users of Photonics Online. By registering now, you'll get exclusive access to this piece of content and thousands of addtional articles and product reviews across our entire network of sites.
