Birefringence Measurement by Low Coherence Interferometry

Abstract

We proposed and demonstrated a practical method for simultaneous measurement of the refractive index and the thickness of a transparent plate, based on the low coherence interferometry. This paper suggests that our method is applicable for birefringence measurement using unpolarized light source. Small birefringence of thin medium such as LiTaO₃ crystal is measured with high accuracy, by introducing dispersion compensation into the low coherence interferometry.