Birefringence of Muscovite Mica Plate Temperature Effect in the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrum

Abstract: We developed a method to measure the phase retardation and birefringence of muscovite mica plate in the temperature range of 223K to 358K within the spectrum of 300 to 700 nm. The phase retardation data is gained through the standard transmission ellipsometry using spectroscopic ellipsometer. With the phase retardation and thickness of the mica plate we can calculate its birefringence dispersion. Our results give abundant phase retardation and birefringence data of muscovite mica in the ultraviolet and visible spectrum from 223K to 358K. From the experimental data, the phase retardation and birefringence will drop down at the fixed wavelength when the temperature rises. The accuracy of the birefringence of mica plate is better than 3.5e-5.