Analysis of angular-selective performances of obliquely deposited birefringent thin film

A slanted columnar TiO2 sculptured anisotropic thin film is prepared using the glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique. We extend the inference regarding the optical properties of a uniaxial birefringent film based on theoretical analysis to include the more general case of a multilayer biaxial birefringent thin film, the optic axis of which is in the incident plane. We also investigate in detail the symmetrical angular-selective transmittance performances of TiO2 biaxial anisotropic thin films for light incident at the same angle but coming from opposite sides of the surface normal. The tilted nanocolumn microstructures of the birefringent thin films induce optical anisotropy. The transmisson spectra for the p-polarized wave of TiO2 biaxial anisotropic thin film measured in the experiment almost overlap at the symmetrical oblique incidence at the +/-theta(0) angles, which validates our theoretical derivation.