Optical characterization of liquid crystals by combined ellipsometry and half-leaky-guided-mode spectroscopy in the visible-near infrared range

In this paper, we present our results for the anisotropic refractive index measurements of commonly used liquid crystal LC materials E7 and 5CB in the whole visible–near infrared range. In order to achieve a high accuracy in the obtained values, we have employed a combination of two techniques, namely, Mueller matrix spectroscopic ellipsometry in transmission and half-leaky-guided-mode HLGM. Measurements with the HLGM technique are usually performed at a single wavelength. In order to obtain a spectroscopic measurement based on the HLGM technique in a wide wavelength range, we modified our commercial VASE® ellipsometer. In particular, we designed a sample holder by means of which measurements in guiding structures are also possible. Thus, we take advantage of the wide-spectrum light, emitted from a standard Xe lamp of the ellipsometer, also in the HLGM setup. The complementary and in-one-setup utilization of both techniques has allowed us to overcome most of the problems previously encountered in applying spectroscopic ellipsometry to the determination of the optical parameters of LC materials and eventually to achieve an accuracy in the obtained results of the order of 10−4. We discuss how individual elements of the Mueller matrix can be used to this aim. Finally, we compare the dispersion curves for the refractive indices and the birefringence of E7 and 5CB with the data already existing in the literature.