Reflection characteristics of nanoscopic anisotropic layered structures and optical diagnostics of nanofilms

The reflection of linearly polarized light from an N-layer system of anisotropic nanometer-size insulating films is investigated in the long-wavelength limit. The approximate expressions for the reflection characteristics of s- and p-polarized light for multilayer systems of anisotropic films are derived. All analytical results are supported by computer-aided analysis made on the basis of general wave propagation theory for anisotropic layered media. It is shown that the accuracy of the long-wavelength approximation for nanoscopic anisotropic layered systems is quite satisfactory: if the thickness of a multilayer divided by the wavelength comprises only a few hundredths, then the error of approximate expressions will be of the order of several percent. The most useful feature of obtained formulas is that they are simply invertible, allowing a direct calculation of the parameters of nanoscale layers.