Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for controlling polarization state determining parameters of a polarized beam of light in an ellipsometer or polarimeter and the like system, (eg. a modulation element ellipsometer system), so that they are in ranges wherein the sensitivity, (of a sample system characterizing PSI and DELTA value monitoring detector used to measure changes in said polarization state resulting from interaction with a "composite sample system," comprised of a sample system per se. and a beam polarization state determining variable retarder, to noise and measurement errors etc. therein), is reduced. The present invention allows determining sample system per se. characterizing PSI and DELTA values, from Composite Sample System characterizing PSI and DELTA values, by compensating for the presence of present invention components, (VR1) and/or VR2), added to an ellipsometer or polarimeter and the like system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polymeric materials that exhibit an erasable photorefractive effect which can be fabricated into optical devices such as optical wave guides.

Abstract: In an ellipsometer, a phase-modulated, polarized light beam is applied to a sample, electrical signals are obtained representing the orthogonal planes of polarization of the light after it has interacted with the sample and the constants of the sample are calculated from the two resulting electrical signals. The phase modulation is sufficiently small so that the calibration errors are negligible. For this purpose, the phase modulator phase modulates the light within a range of no more than ten degrees modulations peak to peak. The two electrical signals are expanded by Fourier analysis and the coefficients thereof utilized to calculate psi and delta.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polymeric materials that exhibit an erasable photorefractive effect which can be fabricated into optical devices such as optical wave guides.