Ellipsometric Spectroscopy To Measure The Wave Plate Phase Delay

In the polarized light technology, the phase retarder (or wave plate) may transform the linearly polarized light into the elliptically polarized light or the circularly polarized light. Namely it can realize polarized light transformation. Therefore, it is a kind of important polarized light component. How to determine the phase retardation of crystal precisely and conveniently has continuously been paid attention to. At present, there are some methods such as the photoelectricity modulation method, the compensation method and the spectrographic method and so on. But some methods are too complex, some can only been used to measure the phase delay of 1/4 wave plate. What's more, many methods can only measure the phase retardation at a single wave length and cannot obtain the result as the wave length changes. In view of this question, this article put forward one ellipsometric spectrum method which can measure the wave plate's phase retardation in a certain spectrum range. This method has the following merits: convenient survey, the periodic time is short, high accuracy.In 1945, A.Rothen designed and described the first elliptical polarization measuring instrument, used to measure and the research the thin film's surface optical quality (for example refractive index and thickness). From now on the elliptical polarization survey technology has been applied to more and more widespread field. The ellipsometer also obtained a considerable development. The original manual survey turned into automatic survey, the spectrum scope gradually broadens, the measurement accuracy becomes more and more higher. This thesis use the UVISAL ellipsometer which is produced by the French Jobin-Yvon Corporation to measure the phase retardation of quartz wave plate and mica wave plate in a certain spectrum scope. What the experiment uses is the transmission type of this ellipsometer.The full text has the following several aspects. The first chapter mainly introduced the purpose, the significance. The second chapter introduced the ellipsometer's structure and main application, then introduced the structure and performance of the UVISAL ellipsometer which is used in this experiment. The third chapter introduced the elementary theory of the ellipsometry, discussed the reflection ellipsometry and the transmission ellipsometry. Then we analyzed the influence of the multiple coherent reflection on the wave plate surface to its retardation and transmissibility. The fourth chapter measured the quartz and mica wave plate's retardation in a certain spectrum range. Then we calculated the quartz and the mica crystal's birefringence under different wave length, and used this ellipsometer's warm control installment to survey the quartz and the mica wave plate's temperature effect of retardation.Originality innovation places: we provided one method of measuring the wave plate's phase retardation, and has obtained the quartz and mica wave plate's precise phase retardation. From the near-infrared to the near ultraviolet scope we gained the quartz wave plate's birefringence and enriched the data in this area. We also gained the mica wave plate's birefringence in the visible light scope. What's more we obtained the quartz and mica wave plate's phase retardation curve along with the temperature.