Extraction of polarization properties of the individual components of a layered system by using spectroscopic Mueller matrix analysis

Opt Express. 2016 May 2;24(9):9757-65. doi: 10.1364/OE.24.009757.

Abstract

In semiconductor and optics fields, some devices are constructed with layered systems including two or three individual layers. Measurement of polarization properties of the individual components of these layered systems is often desired. In this paper, we present methods allowing the simultaneous extraction of the polarization parameters of the individual components by analyzing spectroscopic Mueller matrices (measured at two wavelengths). We have studied both retarder-retarder and retarder-polarizer-retarder systems. The validities of the methods were successfully tested using both simulations and real polarization systems.