Optical properties of free-electron metal films including electron surface scattering: Theory

Abstract

The present understanding of the optical and electrical properties of free-electron metal (FEM) films does not permit the optical characteristics to be related to the dc conductivity in terms of the microscopic parameters when both the optical and electrical characteristics are being measured simultaneously. To resolve this dilemma, a new set of expressions for the reflectance and transmittance of thin FEM films is developed from the work of Reuter and Sondheimer. The expressions are used to calculate the effects of electron scattering from the internal surface of a hypothetical gold film. The results demonstrate that it should be possible to determine the microscopic parameters of a thin film from optical measurements.