Abstract: A novel real-time measurement method to determine the refractive index and the thickness of a polymer film during photobleaching process was proposed based on the non-scanning attenuated total reflection (ATR) technique. Several dark lines corresponding to the guided-wave modes were demonstrated on the computer screen by a CCD camera. According to the shift of the dark lines, the changing values of refractive index and thickness of the polymer film can be simultaneously determined in time during photobleaching process. And we found that both chemical and physical change processes existed in the changes of refractive index and thickness of the polymer.

Key words: Attenuated total reflection, Polymer waveguide, Photobleaching