A versatile method for determination of the optical constants is described that can be applied to a variety of coating materials. It is based on the use of an optical thin film synthesis program to adjust the constants of dispersion equations until a good fit is obtained between measured and calculated spectral transmittance and/or reflectance curves. The sensitivity of the determination can be increased by a suitable combination of measurement quantities. Because more than the minimum amount of data can be used, sensitivity to measurement errors and the chances of obtaining multiple solutions can both be reduced. To illustrate the method optical constants are determined of MgF₂, ZnS, MgO, Inconel, and Si films in the visible part of the spectrum and of ITO films in the 0.4–12.0-µm range.

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