Interference fringes in the far-infrared spectra of thin films are the result of the coherent adding up of waves and can influence the spectral interpretation by concealing smaller features. A number of methods have been developed in order to eliminate such oscillating features from the transmittance spectrum. The paper critically evaluates the total transmission-reflection technique and applies the method to quantify the spectra of different polymer films.
The far infrared refractive indices and the extinction coefficients of liquids can be obtained by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry in attenuated total reflection configuration. Such optical constants will contribute to a spectroscopic data base in the far infrared and terahertz spectral regions. The experimental implementation and the calibration procedure of the method are described in detail. The temperature dependency of the optical constants for water over a broad spectral range is exemplarily presented.