PHY1213

Interference by Division of Amplitude

Division of Amplitude: Thin film interference

• 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.

• The beam of light incident at A divides into reflected and

refracted portions: later there is recombination and
interference. This is termed as division of amplitude.
• Consider the simple case of a transparent parallel plate of
dielectric material having a thickness d
• Suppose that the film is non-absorbing and that the
amplitude-reflection coefficients at the interfaces are so low
that only the first two reflected beams E1r and E2r (both having
undergone only one reflection) need be considered
• The film serves as an amplitude-splitting device, so that E1r
and E2r may be considered as arising from two coherent virtual sources
lying behind the film; that is, the two images of S formed by
reflection at the first and second interfaces
• The reflected rays are parallel on leaving the film and
can be brought together at a point P on the focal plane of a
telescope objective
• the optical path length difference for the first
two reflected beams is given by

AD
sin  
AC
From the sketch
• The corresponding phase difference associated with the
optical path length difference is then just the product of the
free space propagation number k0 and the OPD. the two
beams, one internally and one externally reflected, will
experience a relative phase shift of pi radians

2
Using k0 
0
Notes about the thin film:

• 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.
• We shall stop at the second reflection (i.e. no more
transmission).
• The light reflected from the upper and lower surfaces will
interfere.
• The degree of constructive or destructive interference between the
two light waves depends on the difference in their phase.
• This difference in turn depends on the thickness of the film
layer, the refractive index of the film, and the angle of
incidence of the original wave on the film.
Phase shift upon reflection:
• A phase shift of 180° or  radians may be introduced upon
reflection at a boundary depending on the refractive indices
of the materials on either side of the boundary.

• If n1 < n2, and the light is travelling from material 1 to material

2, then a phase shift occurs 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.

• Monochromatic light gives light and dark bands and white

light produces colored bands.
Type of interference:
• 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 of the film medium.
• Examples of interference of light in single or multiple thin
surface layers of transparent material:
– Colors on surface of oily water and soap films; anti-
reflective coatings.
– Beautiful iridescence in peacock feathers and butterfly
wings.
Examples of interference of light in layers of
transparent material:
soap bubble:
Thin oil film:
(color varies with film thickness)
 Fringes of Equal Thickness
• A whole class of interference fringes exists for which the optical
thickness, 𝑛𝑓 𝑑, is the dominant parameter rather than 𝜃𝑖 . These are
referred to as fringes of equal thickness. Under white-light
illumination the iridescence of soap bubbles, oil slicks (a few
wavelengths thick), and even oxidized metal surfaces is the result of
variations in film thickness.

• Interference bands of this kind are analogous to the constant-height

contour lines of a topographical map. Each fringe is the locus of all
points in the film for which the optical thickness is a constant.

• In general, 𝑛𝑓 does not vary, so that the fringes correspond to regions

of constant film thickness. As such, they can be quite useful in
determining the surface features of optical elements (lenses, prisms,
etc.).
• Read about Fringes from a wedge-shaped film.
Soap bubble:

In the case of a soap bubble:

• Light travels through air and strikes a soap film.
• The air has a refractive index of 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.
Condition for interference for a soap bubble:
(Since (nair < nfilm), there exists a phase shift of  radians.)

• For constructive interference of reflected light:

• For destructive interference of reflected light:

where d is the film thickness, nfilm is the refractive

index of the film, 2 is the angle of incidence of
the wave on the lower boundary, m is an integer,
and  is the wavelength of light.
Oil film: (Air is at the upper boundary and water at
the lower boundary)
For the case of a thin oil film: a layer of oil sits on 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 as for soap
film:
• For constructive interference of reflected light:

• For destructive interference of reflected light:

•
Anti-reflection coatings:
• 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.
• The film is such that nair < ncoating < nglass and,
 Anti-reflection coating:
• The film is such that nair < ncoating < nglass and,
.
Now,
• A 180° phase shift will be induced upon
reflection at both the top and bottom interfaces
of the film because nair < ncoating and ncoating < nglass.
• The equations are, for constructive and
destructive interference, respectively:

and,
In addition, since nair < ncoating and ncoating < nglass, the same
phase change occurs in each reflection.
And, assuming that:
• the optical thickness, , is equal to a quarter-
wavelength of the incident light; and
• the light strikes the film at normal incidence (2=0),
Then the reflected waves will be completely out of phase and
will destructively interfere.
If on the other hand, ncoating > nglass and normal incidence:
• the reflectivity is increased; and
• a 180° phase shift will be induced upon reflection at the air-
film interface, but not at the film-glass.
• Leading to constructive interference.
Such anti-reflective coatings are used for one-way windows and
reflecting sunglasses .
 Newton’s Rings
• An air-wedge, formed between the spherical surface of a lens
and an optically flat surface is illuminated with
monochromatic light at normal incidence.
• A beam-splitter at 45o to the incident light enables light to strike
film at normal incidence, and also provides for transmission
of part of the reflected light into the eye.
• A plano-convex lens of large radius of curvature R is placed
on a plane glass plate with its curved surface downwards and
is illuminated from above with a parallel beam of
monochromatic light.
• Some of the light is reflected from the upper surface of the
glass plate and some from the lower surface of the lens.
Newton’s Rings Experiment:
Equal-thickness contours are viewed.

• Interference thus occurs by division of amplitude, the fringes

being localized in the air gap between the lens and plate.

• At any point a distance r from the axis of the lens the path
difference will be 2h, where h is the distance between the lens
and the plate at that point (See Figure 2).

• The interference fringes are circular because the system is

symmetrical about the centre of the lens.
The radius of curvature, R:
• [By measuring interference fringe separation, curvature
of the spherical surface can be calculated.]
• The radius, R, of curvature of the lens is given by
(using Pythagoras theorem):

• The radius of any ring is given by:

• Since
Optical path difference may be given as:
Fizeau fringes (Films of varying thickness, h,
produce fringes of equal thickness):
• Generally, the optical path difference,

• Varies even without varying angle of incidence. In this case, it

is normal incidence ( = 0).

• Condition for bright and dark fringes is, respectively:

where r is either /2 or 0, whether or not there is a phase shift

of , respectively.
A phase change of π occurs when the light reflects from
the top surface of the plate but not at the lower surface
of the lens.
Therefore,
• For a bright ring viewed by reflection:

• For dark ring viewed by reflection:

where m = 0, 1, 2, 3, … and rm is the radius of the mth ring.

[When doing the experiment it is much easier (and more accurate) to

measure the diameter of the rings and then calculate their radius. A
dark central spot should be obtained when viewed by
reflection.]
Newton’s Rings by transmission:
• The rings can be viewed by transmission by putting the
microscope below the plate.

• In this case, the equations for bright and dark rings should be
interchanged as two phase changes will occur, producing an
effective phase difference of 2π.

• A bright central spot should be obtained.

• If white light is used a few coloured rings will be seen due to

the different wavelengths of the different colours of light.
 Newton’s Rings:
(a) by reflection;(b) by transmission.
(a) (b)
Newton's rings and the refractive index of a liquid:
• Putting a liquid of refractive index n between the lens and
the plate (Figure 5) will change the path difference to 2nh
and give a formula for the mth dark ring of:

• The radius of any given ring will be less with the liquid in
place than without it.
• This effect may be used to measure the refractive index of the
liquid; the method is a good one since it is accurate and easy
to perform, and only a small amount of the liquid is
needed.