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Generalized ellipsometry determination of non‐reciprocity in chiral silicon sculptured thin films
Author(s) -
Schmidt D.,
Schubert E.,
Schubert M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.200777906
Subject(s) - reciprocity (cultural anthropology) , ellipsometry , isotropy , materials science , anisotropy , optics , birefringence , thin film , diagonal , silicon , piecewise , refractive index , physics , optoelectronics , geometry , nanotechnology , mathematical analysis , mathematics , psychology , social psychology
We report on angle‐resolved reflection‐type generalized ellipsometry investigations of form‐birefringent chiral silicon sculptured thin films. The nanodimensional structures within the sculptured thin films are designed in geometries of left‐handed hollow‐core three‐, four‐, and five‐fold, and solid‐core continuous screws. We identify their structurally induced non‐reciprocal optical properties by comparison between off‐diagonal Mueller matrix elements upon reversal of the light direction. The observed non‐reciprocity cannot be described by the piecewise homogeneous approximation scheme using chiral arrangements of dielectrically anisotropic layers. We show that a simple sequence of light interaction with an ideal isotropic chiral rotator and an arbitrarily anisotropic but non‐chiral surface produces non‐reciprocity. We provide estimates of the optical rotary power of the nanostructures. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)