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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

extreme ultraviolet, ellipsometry, polarized light, XUV, EUV

College

Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Department

Physics and Astronomy

Abstract

Ellipsometry, a common technique used with visible light, measures the change of the state of polarization as it reflect off a material. By so doing, the way that light interacts with materials can be understood more clearly. Also, optical properties, known as the index of refraction and absorption coefficient, can be found from this technique. With these known optical properties of various materials, elements, such as mirrors and polarizers, can be optimized for optical instruments. The name ellipsometry comes from the fact that the technique is based on the analysis of what is called ellipsometrically polarized light. For the simple case, linearly polarized light reflected by a material could become what one terms as ellipsometrically polarized. By analyzing how the polarization state of a light beam changes as it reflects off of a material, one can determine the optical properties of the material, known specifically as the index of refraction and the absorption coefficient of the material. In turn, once the optical properties of a material have been determined, elements can be created to construct instruments such as telescopes or even an ellipsometer. [The physics can also be greater understood through this method .]

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