Obtaining Good %T and %R Measurements

By Ron Willey, consultant, Willey Optical

(Excerpts from a draft of the upcoming Third Edition of Practical Production of Optical Thin Films by Ron Willey)

There are occasional papers in the journals and sections in texts on the fine points of the measurement of optical coatings, but seldom a review of "common" practice for a person new to the field. We will here attempt to help with that problem of "how to measure" before embarking on what to do with those measurements.