Metricon Corporation has pioneered the practical application of prism coupling technology to problems of thin film, bulk material, and optical waveguide characterization. Since its inception in 1980, more than 850 Metricon systems have been delivered to top universities, research institutes, and corporations in 38 countries and Metricon prism coupling systems have been referenced in hundreds of articles in scientific journals.


The Model 2010/M Prism Coupler utilizes advanced optical waveguiding techniques to rapidly and accurately measure both the thickness and the refractive index/birefringence of dielectric and polymer films. The Model 2010/M offers unique advantages over conventional instruments based on ellipsometry or spectrophotometry:

  • routine index accuracy of ±.0005, resolution of ±.0003 (accuracy of up to ±.0001, resolution ±.00005 achievable for many applications)
  • completely general - no advance knowledge of thickness, index, or material type required
  • wide application area - measures thin films on higher or lower index substrates, free standing flexible polymer films, waveguides, SPR structures
  • index/birefringence measurement of bulk materials, including flexible poly mers and liquids
  • high accuracy determination of dispersion (index vs wavelength)
  • rapid characterization of thin film or diffused optical waveguides including waveguide loss