Thin-film interference 

is the phenomenon that occurs when incident light waves reflected by the upper and lower
boundaries of a thin film interfere with one another to form a new wave. Studying this new wave can reveal
information about the surfaces from which its components reflected, including the thickness of the film or the
effective refractive index of the film medium.

A thin film is a layer of material with thickness in the sub-nanometer to micron range. As light strikes the surface of a

film it is either transmitted or reflected at the upper surface. Light that is transmitted reaches the bottom surface and

may once again be transmitted or reflected. TheFresnel equations provide a quantitative description of how much of

the light will be transmitted or reflected at an interface. The light reflected from the upper and lower surfaces will

interfere. The degree of constructive or destructive interference between the two light waves is dependent upon the

difference in their phase. This difference is dependent upon the thickness of the film layer, the refractive index of the
film, and the angle of incidence of the original wave on the film. Additionally, a phase shift of 180° or π radians may

be introduced upon reflection at a boundary depending on the refractive indices of the materials on either side of the
boundary. This phase shift occurs if the refractive index of the medium the light is travelling through is less than the
refractive of the material it is striking. In other words, if n1 < n2 and the light is travelling from material 1 to material 2,

then a phase shift will occur upon reflection. The pattern of light that results from this interference can appear either

as light and dark bands or as colorful bands depending upon the source of the incident light.

Consider light incident on a thin film and reflected by both the upper and lower boundaries. The optical path

difference (OPD) of the reflected light must be calculated in order to determine the condition for interference.

Referring to Figure 1, the OPD between the two waves is the following:

Where,

Using Snell's Law, n1sin(θ1) = n2sin(θ2)

Interference will be constructive if the optical path difference is equal to an

integer multiple of the wavelength of light, λ.
This condition may change after considering possible phase shifts that

occur upon reflection.

[edit]Monochromatic source

In the case where incident light is monochromatic in nature, interference

patterns will appear as light and dark bands. Light bands correspond to

regions at which constructive interference is occurring between the

reflected waves and dark bands correspond to destructive interference

regions. As the thickness of the film varies from one location to another,

the interference may change from constructive to destructive. A good

example of this phenomenon, termed "Newton's rings," demonstrates the

interference pattern that results when light is reflected from a spherical

surface adjacent to a flat surface. Concentric rings are viewed when the

surface is illuminated with monochromatic light.

[edit]Broadband source

If the incident light is broadband, or white, such as light from the sun,

interference patters will appear as colorful bands. Different wavelengths of

light will create constructive interference for different film thicknesses.

Different regions of the film will appear to be different colors depending on

the local film thickness.

[edit]Examples

The type of interference that occurs when light is reflected from a thin film

is dependent upon the wavelength and angle of the incident light, the

thickness of the film, the refractive indices of the material on either side of

the film, and the index of the film medium. Various possible film

configurations and the related equations are explained in more detail in the

examples below.

[edit]Soap bubble
 Figure 3. Light incident on a soap film. Air surrounds both sides of the film.

In the case of a soap bubble light travels through air and strikes a soap
film. The air has a refractive index of 1 (nair = 1) and the film has an index

that is larger than 1 (nfilm > 1). The reflection that occurs at the upper

boundary of the film (the air-film boundary) will introduce a 180° phase shift

in the reflected wave because the refractive index of the air is less than the
index of the film (nair < nfilm). Light that is transmitted at the upper air-film

interface will continue to the lower film-air interface where it can be

reflected or transmitted. The reflection that occurs at this boundary will not
change the phase of the reflected wave because nfilm > nair. The condition

for interference for a soap bubble is the following:

  for constructive interference of reflected light

  for destructive interference of reflected light

Where d is the film thickness, nfilm if the refractive index of the

film, θ2 is the angle of incidence of the wave on the lower

boundary, m is an integer, and λ is the wavelength of light.

[edit]Oil film
 Figure 4. Light incident on an oil film. Air is at the upper boundary and

water at the lower boundary.

In the case of a thin oil film, a layer of oil sits atop a layer of

water. The oil may have an index of refraction near 1.5 and the

water has an index of 1.33. As in the case of the soap bubble,

the materials on either side of the oil film (air and water) both

have refractive indices that are less than the index of the
film. nair < nwater < noil. There will be a phase shift upon

reflection from the upper boundary because nair < noil but no

shift upon reflection from the lower boundary

because noil > nwater. The equations for interference will be the

same.

  for constructive interference of reflected light

  for destructive interference of reflected light

[edit]Anti-reflection coatings
 Figure 5. Light incident on an anti-reflection coating. Air

is at the upper boundary and glass at the lower

boundary.

Main article: Anti-reflective coating

An anti-reflection coating eliminates reflected light

and maximizes transmitted light in an optical

system. A film is designed such that reflected light

produces destructive interference and transmitted

light produces constructive interference for a given

wavelength of light. In the simplest implementation

of such a coating, the film is created so that its

optical thickness dncoating is a quarter-wavelength

of the incident light and its refractive index is

greater than the index of air and less than the

index of glass.

nair < ncoating < nglass
d = λ / (4ncoating)

A 180° phase shift will be induced

upon reflection at both the top and

bottom interfaces of the film

because nair < ncoating andncoating < ngla

ss. The equations for interference of the

reflected light are:

  for constructive interference

  for destructive interference

If the optical
thickness dncoating is equal

to a quarter-wavelength of

the incident light and if the

light strikes the film at

normal incidence(θ2 = 0),
the reflected waves will be

completely out of phase

and will destructively

interfere. Further reduction

in reflection is possible by

adding more layers, each

designed to match a

specific wavelength of

light.

It should also be noted

that interference of

transmitted light will be

completely constructive for

these films.

[edit]Applications

Thin films are used

commercially in anti-

reflection coatings,

mirrors, and optical filters.

They can be engineered to

control the amount of light

reflected or transmitted at

a surface for a given

wavelength. A Fabry-Pérot

etalon takes advantage of
thin film interference to

selectively choose which

wavelengths of light are

allowed to transmit

through the device. These

films are created through

deposition processes in

which material is added to

a substrate in a controlled

manner. Methods

include chemical vapor

deposition and

various physical vapor

deposition techniques.

Thin films are also found in

nature. Many animals

have a layer of tissue

behind the retina,

the Tapetum lucidum, that

aids in light collecting. The

effects of thin-film

interference can also be

seen in oil slicks and soap

bubbles.

Ellipsometry is a technique

that is often used to

measure properties of thin

films. In a typical

ellipsometry experiment

polarized light is reflected

off a film surface and is

measured by a detector.

The complex reflectance

ratio, ρ, of the system is

measured. A model
analysis in then conducted

in which this information is

used to determine film

layer thicknesses and

refractive indices.

Dual polarisation

interferometry is an

emerging technique for

measuring refractive index

and thickness of molecular

scale thin films and how

these change when

stimulated.