Polarization properties of reflected light from anodic porous alumina

Abstract

Anodic porous alumina consists of regularly arrayed cells, which are hollow hexagon cylinders made of aluminum oxide with a nanopore at their center. We experimentally investigate polarization properties of the reflected light from a commercially available anodic porous alumina film in the visible region. The experimental result shows that the structural parameters of anodic porous alumina, such as nanopore size and a pore interval (cell size), have a large effect on the polarization properties. This implies that the effective refractive index of the anodic porous alumina can be dominantly determined from the nanopore size and the pore interval.