Determination of Optical Properties of Thin Films from Ketteler-Helmholtz Dispersion Relations: Application to the Case of Ultraviolet Irradiated Zirconium Oxide

Abstract

A new method based on the Ketteler-Helmholtz dispersion relations is described. This method allows accurately determining the optical properties of thin films from a single transmittance curve. The case of zirconium oxide thin film postdeposition irradiated with ultraviolet light is analysed. The effect of ultraviolet irradiation is compared with low temperature postdeposition heating. It is shown that both processes have a comparable effect on the optical properties of the films. However, as our analysis leads to inferring that ultraviolet irradiation produces smoother film surfaces, the use of ultraviolet irradiation is an interesting alternative to the heating process. Accordingly, the reduction of light scattering from the interface with air provides films of better optical quality, which is especially valuable in case of multilayer systems.