Influence of the Optical Multi-Film Thickness on the Saturation of the Structural Color Displayed

Abstract

In this paper, it is demonstrated that saturation of the structure color exhibited by the multi-film systems can be determined by the thickness parameter of the layers of multi-films. To prove this principle, the multi-film of 1-quarter film system and 3-quarter film system with the central wavelength of 650nm, exhibiting a color red, are fabricated by deposition method. Simulation was done base on the light interference principle, and both simulation and experiment results show that the reflective spectra of the 1-quarter film system have a wider bandwidth. Saturations of the color from different systems are calculated separately by the CIE colorimetry method, to prove that the 3-quarter film system produces colors with higher saturation. Keywords: saturation; structural color; multi-film; thin film thickness; interference principle