AVS 46th International Symposium
    Thin Films Division Monday Sessions
       Session TF-MoP

Paper TF-MoP6
Towards a Fully Monitored Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic Ellipsometer

Monday, October 25, 1999, 5:30 pm, Room 4C

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: J.C. Cigal, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Authors: J.C. Cigal, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
G.M.W. Kroesen, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
Correspondent: Click to Email
Infrared ellipsometry emerged few years ago as a powerful sensitive and non-intrusive optical technique for characterizing of surfaces, interfaces and thin films. The recent improvements in Fourier transform analysis and of polarizers helped to overcome problems formerly restricting the applications of such a technique. Among the different ellipsometer configurations in use, we opted for a rotating compensator ellipsometer running in the middle infrared. This technique offers several advantages compared to other ellipsometric methods, such as the non-ambiguous determination of ellipsometric parameters and the insensivity to source and detector polarization. However, the principal fact preventing a widespread application of rotating compensator for spectroscopic purposes was the absence of a good spectroscopic retarder. We are currently developing one available in the 1000-4000 cm@super -1@ spectral range. The principle is based on internal reflection inside a Zinc Selenide crystal. Moreover, measurement speed can significantly be improved by an accurate synchronization between the scanner of the spectrometer and the stepping motors used to rotate the polarizers and the compensator. This will allow us, as a next stage, to perform in-situ and real time measurements.