Characterization of Optical Coatings by Photothermal Deflection

Abstract

Photothermal deflection techniques (PD) have been developed at the beginning of the eighties1-2 and widely employed over the last few years to characterize optical coatings3-14. Their success originates from various advantages: the absence of any mechanical contact with the sample, the ease of implementing ( no sample preparation for example ), high sensitivity and the possibility of application to microscopy and imaging.