Effective medium approximation based interpretation for Mueller matrix spectra of polydimethylsiloxane gratings

Abstract

Dielectric corrugated gratings are of considerable interest due to their applications in acousto-optics, quantum electronics, integrated optics, spectroscopy, and holography integrated optics. Rigorous coupled-wave analysis has been widely used for the analysis of dielectric gratings. However, this approach is not only time-consuming and computer intensive but it also does not really promote the physical understanding of the origin of the observed optical behavior. Here, we use Mueller matrix (MM) spectroscopic ellipsometry to systematically study the sinusoidal polydimethylsiloxane grating. We correlate the observed polarization mixing in the Mueller matrix to the underlying physical origin using the physics-based approach. The calculated MM contour plots obtained from a biaxial Bruggemann effective medium approximation model are completed by the presence of Rayleigh-Woods anomalies. The roles of optical interference, geometric anisotropy, and diffraction orders are respectively identified by their different dispersion behavior, with their interactions and couplings highlighted. Such a straightforward procedure provides a new method for analyzing dielectric gratings, which requires considerably less computer power and is directly linked to the physical interpretations.