Multilayer film optics programs

Please send me additions and corrections and suggestions!

Glossary:

• RP = “reverse problem”. Every program does the “forward problem” (given a material configuration, compute the optical properties), but only the programs marked RP also do the “reverse problem” out-of-the-box (given optical measurement data, guess the materials and thicknesses). Otherwise, you can do the reverse problem only by trial-and-error or by writing your own optimization routine.

Free (as in beer) software

• My program
  • https://pypi.org/project/tmm/
  • Runs cross-platform in Python.
• Lightmachinery optical design tools
  • https://lightmachinery.com/optical-design-center/ – more specifically https://lightmachinery.com/optical-design-center/thin-film-designer/
  • RP
  • Server-side code, i.e. it runs in your browser
• Thinfilm
  • http://thinfilm.hansteen.net/
  • Server-side code, i.e. it runs in your browser.
• LuxPop
  • http://www.luxpop.com/
  • RP
  • Server-side code, i.e. it runs in your browser.
• FreeSnell
  • http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/%7Ejaffer/FreeSnell/
  • Runs in Windows and Linux
• EmPy
  • http://empy.sourceforge.net/
  • Runs cross-platform in Python
• RefFIT
  • http://optics.unige.ch/alexey/reffit.html
  • RP
  • Windows only
• NKDGen, NKDMatl, NKDStack
  • http://www.ub.edu/optmat/programs.html
  • RP
  • Windows only
• OpenTMM
  • http://pypi.python.org/pypi/openTMM
  • Runs cross-platform in Python
• Transfer Matrix Optical Modeling from McGehee group
  • http://www.stanford.edu/group/mcgehee/transfermatrix/
  • Runs cross-platform in MATLAB
• “Optical, a GPL optical simulation program for mixed coherent / incoherent multilayer systems”
  • https://www.bo.imm.cnr.it/users/centurioni/optical.html
  • Runs cross-platform in Python
• “TMM Optical Calculator”
  • http://people.ece.umn.edu/users/taylo589/tmm.shtml
  • Javascript code that runs in your browser

Non-free software:

• I will make a list here if I get around to it. Or you are welcome to email me suggestions.

Other resources:

• http://optical-waveguides-modeling.net/tmm-software.jsp — This is focused on optical fibers or other waveguides, rather than planar films, but has links and discussion of several programs