223 results about "Ellipsometry" patented technology

Accuracy and sensitivity in the optical characterization of solids and solid materials are improved through the use of the interdependent features of: extending the photon energy range over which the metrology is performed to include a portion of the range up through 10 eV, in which, the higher photon energy of the light improves signal distinguishing ability; and providing a controlled ambient in the entire light path between the light source and a detector that prevents absorption and signal definiteness masking so as to sharpen the identifiability of the change parameters imparted into the reflected light. Combinations of specific devices and materials that for different types of ellipsometry are provided.

A measurement unit comprising a light source and a photodetector may be formed in a cavity in a substrate. The light source produces light that impinges a material layer and is reflected back to the photodetector. Through methods such as interferometry and ellipsometry, the thickness of the material layer may be calculated from the light intensity data measured by the photodetector. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Ellipsometry using two waveplates of complementary retardation in a dual rotating compensator configuration is disclosed. Two waveplates of complementary retardation may be used to increase the useful spectral range of a rotating compensator ellipsometer, in particular towards the deep Ultraviolet (UV) spectrum. The improved rotating compensating ellipsometer disclosed herein enables a user to select specific and different waveplate retardations for the purpose of increasing the operating wavelength range of the rotating compensating ellipsometer.

The invention discloses a method for calibrating a polarization angle of an ellipsometer with a phase compensator in an ellipsometry system, a phase delay angle of the phase compensator and a light incidence angle of the ellipsometer, and belongs to the technical field of optical measuring instruments. The method is characterized in that correction values of working parameters of the ellipsometer with the phase compensator are obtained by fitting via a least square method according to experimental Fourier coefficients, optical constants and a deduced relational expression among theoretical Fourier coefficients and the working parameters of the ellipsometer. By the method, system parameters including polarization directions of a polarizer and a polarization analyzer, the delay angle of the phase compensator and the light incidence angle of the ellipsometer with the phase compensator can be calibrated, a calibrating process is simple and accurate, the ellipsometer can be directly used for measuring without adjusting components of the system after calibration is completed, accordingly, a measuring process is simplified, and measurement precision is improved.

A small and high-speed polarization analysis device and ellipsometer having no driving section are provided by overlapping one polarizer array rendered by arranging a plurality of polarizer regions of mutually different optical axis directions in the form of stripes and one wavelength plate array rendered by arranging a plurality of wavelength plate regions of fixed retardation and mutually different optical axis directions in the form of stripes so that the respective stripes of the plurality of polarizer regions and of the plurality of wavelength plate regions intersect one another and by disposing a light-receiving element array so that the intensities of light that has passed through the matrix-like intersection parts can be individually measured. As a method of analyzing a two-dimensional intensity distribution pattern that is observed by the light-receiving element array of the polarization analysis device, either one of (or both of) the algorithms of a method that determines incident polarized waves by mathematically fitting pattern shapes or performing database matching or a method that performs a Fourier transform on pattern shapes and determines incident polarized waves from the frequency components is (are) used. Furthermore, if necessary, more accurate polarization analysis is also possible by adopting a signal processing method that removes signals from light-receiving element regions that receive unnecessary scattered light and diffracted light.

An ellipsometer includes a light source for generating a probe beam of polychromatic light for interacting with a sample. The probe beam is passed through a first polarizer that imparts a known polarization state to the probe beam. The polarized probe beam is then directed to reflect from the sample. A second illumination source is switched on and off at a predetermined frequency to create an intensity modulated pump beam (the beam may also be chopped). The pump beam is directed normally against the subject producing a small illumination spot within the area illuminated by the probe beam. The pump induces localized changes in the dielectric properties of the subject. The pump-beam induced oscillations are picked up by the portion of the probe beam that is reflected from within the illumination spot of the pump beam. By analyzing only the portion of the reflected probe beam that includes the pump beam induced oscillation, the size of the measurement spot is effectively limited to the illumination spot size of the normally directed pump beam.

The invention relates to a method for measuring optical constants of a thin film with a non-uniform refractive index. The method comprises the following steps: perfomring spectral measurement on transmissivity and reflectivity of the thin film to obtain spectral measurement data; performing variable-angle ellipsometry on the thin film to obtain ellipsometric parameters; and fitting the spectral data and the ellipsometric parameters, matching with a corresponding dispersion relation, and working out the optical constants of the thin film by using a non-uniform model. On the basis of separate use of the photometry and the ellipsometry, respective advantages of the photometry and the ellipsometry are flexibly taken, high sensitivity of measuring optical parameters of a film layer by the ellipsometry and intuition of measuring data by the photometry are fully played, and the photometry and the ellipsometry are combined with each other to obtain high-precision analytical data of the optical constants, so that the reliance of the photometry on the thickness of the thin film is improved and the difficulty for model calculation by the ellipsometry is reduced.

The invention discloses a spectrum magneto-optical ellipsometry analysis device of a rotary compensator as well as application thereof. The spectrum magneto-optical ellipsometry analysis device comprises a light source module, a light path module, a magnetic field module, a sample table, a motor control module and a detection and analysis module, the light path module comprises a collimating lens,a polarizer, a compensator and a polarization analyzer, the detection and analysis module comprises a computer and a detector, the collimating lens, the polarizer, the compensator, the sample table,the polarization analyzer and the detector are sequentially arranged along a light path direction, the polarizer and the compensator are located in an incidence light path, the polarization analyzer is located in an emergence light path, and the incidence light path and the emergence light path are located at the two sides of the sample table and respectively keep an included angle Phi with normalof the sample table. The device disclosed by the invention can represent optical and magnetic parameters of a magnetic film material under longitudinal or poloidal magneto-optical Kerr effect, can obtain thickness, optical parameters and magnetic parameters of a magnetic film sample during one test and is relatively high in automation degree.

A method to dynamically and completely identify in real-time a transparent-film absorbing-substrate system: determine the film thickness and optical constant and the substrate optical constant, using any ellipsometer to measure only one pair of the two ellipsometric angles psi and del at only one angle of incidence and at only one wavelength, and a fast optimized genetic algorithm which employs a fitness function based on a physical condition along with an optimization method are provided. With proper modification the provided optimized genetic algorithm, and the provided optimization method, are used to fully characterize absorbing-film absorbing-substrate systems, to fully characterize a pellicle which is an unsupported film, to fully characterize a bare substrate, to fully characterize multiple-film-substrate systems, and to design single- and multiple-film-substrate systems. A software program and/or a smart device to be a part of any ellipsometer or ellipsometer system, or to be added to any existing ellipsometer or ellipsometer system, are also provided. All equally apply to reflection and transmission modes of operation.

The invention discloses a method and a device for measuring a nano film. The method for measuring the nano film comprises the following steps of acquiring a transmittance measurement value or a reflectivity measurement value of the nano film; acquiring ellipsometry parameters of the nano film; estimating the thickness of the nano film, obtaining a pseudo optical constant of the nano film according to the ellipsometry parameter and the estimated thickness; obtaining a transmittance calculation value or a reflectivity calculation value of the nano film according to the estimated thickness and the pseudo optical constant; executing the error comparison for the transmittance measurement value or the reflectivity measurement value with the transmittance calculation value or the reflectivity calculation value, and utilizing the estimated thickness and the pseudo optical constant corresponding to the minimal error value as the thickness and optical constant of the nano film. By adopting the transmittance or reflectivity and the ellipsometry method to assist the analysis, the pseudo optical constant is introduced, and the data is processed by adopting a fitting algorithm and an iteration algorithm, so that the optical constant and thickness of a film sample can be precisely measured.

The invention discloses a large-area high-resolution wide-field online measurement device and a measurement method for nanostructure films. Light emitted by a light source is converted into a single-wavelength light beam through a wavelength selector, and the single-wavelength light beam is converted into an elliptic polarized beam which is then projected to a to-be-measured nanostructure film. A film reflection beam passes through an imaging unit and a polarization state analysis unit to enter an area array detector to obtain imaging spectrum ellipsometry measurement data of the to-be-measured nanostructure film. The data are matched with theoretical values and extracted to obtain parameter values of the to-be-measured nanostructure film at corresponding pixels, and the extracted parameter values form three-dimensional micrograph morphology of the to-be-measured nanostructure film. The problem that an existing device is small in focal depth value of an instrument and difficult to realize wide-field clear imaging and high-transverse-resolution measurement at the same time is solved, and large-area high-resolution accurate measurement of the nanostructure film is truly realized.

The invention provides a measuring device and a measuring method for the thickness and the optical constants of ultrathin film. The method comprises the steps of collecting plasma resonance images under different polarizing angles and analyzing angles, performing analysis to obtain an ellipsometry parameter curve of plasma resonance guide and performing fitting of the ellipsometry parameter curve, and using an optical solution as a measurement result to obtain the thickness and optical constants of ultrathin film. The measuring device and the measuring method have the advantages of online real-time non-contact measurement and high measurement accuracy and cause no damage to the surfaces of to-be-measured samples.

The invention discloses a one-fourth double-wave-plate phase retarder which is capable of realizing achromatic aberration. The one-fourth double-wave-plate phase retarder is characterized in that the double-wave-plate phase retarder is composed of two one-fourth zero-level wave plates made of same materials or different materials, the zero-level wave plates are parallelly arranged along optical axes, an included angle formed by the optical axes is 45 degrees, and central wavelengths of the one-fourth zero-level wave plates are within a waveband range and meet the condition that the maximum value of difference values between phase retardation quantity delta e (lambda), corresponding to each wavelength point within the waveband range, of a double-wave plate formed by the zero-level wave plates and an ideal phase retardation quantity value pi/2. Compared with existing double-wave-plate phase retarders, the one-fourth double-wave-plate phase retarder has the advantages that the optical axes of the zero-level wave plates are combined according to 45 degrees instead of 90 degrees, so that the acquired double-wave-plate phase retarder has better characteristics like achromatic aberration within full-wave band and can meet using requirements of wide-spectrum optical systems in spectrum ellipsometry and the like.

The invention relates to a calibration method of a quartz crystal microbalance, belonging to the technical field of aeronautics and astronautics. The method comprises depositing heavy metal gold at the surface of the quartz crystal microbalance by using a magnetron sputtering device; injecting an inert gas in a vacuum system; observing and recording the vacuum degree of a vacuum chamber; monitoring and storing the frequency value and the temperature value of the quartz crystal microbalance; monitoring and storing the S polarized light current and P polarized light current of ellipsometry system, and finally closing the testing system, closing the gas charging system of inert gas, and closing the vacuum system. The method improves the sensibility of precision measurement of the quartz crystal microbalance; the test procedure is stable and reliable, and has good replicability; an ellipsometry film thickness measuring apparatus is used for providing direct film thickness measuring method for the quartz crystal microbalance; and the method has high measuring accuracy, stable test procedure and good replicability.

Disclosed herein is an anti-reflective film including: a hard coating layer; and a low-refractive layer containing a binder resin, and hollow inorganic nanoparticles and solid inorganic nanoparticles which are dispersed in the binder resin, wherein the low-refractive layer includes a first layer containing at least 70 vol % of the entire solid inorganic nanoparticles and a second layer containing at least 70 vol % of the entire hollow inorganic nanoparticles, and at the time of fitting polarization ellipticity measured by ellipsometry for the first layer or/and the second layer included in the low-refractive layer using a Cauchy model represented by the following General Equation 1, the second layer satisfies a predetermined condition.

A localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensing system with anisotropic particles is revealed. The anisotropy of nanoparticles spectrally splits the phase spectra of two perpendicular polarizations thus inducing a phase difference between the two polarizations. An apparatus of ellipsometry is used to measure the phase difference. The simulated results demonstrate that the full width at the half maximum of the spectrum of phase difference is much narrower than the spectrum of transmittance. Therefore the figure of merit is dramatically increased and the performance of the refractive index sensor is improved.

To avoid the rotation action with the polarizer and the analyzer in ellipsometric measurement, complex measurement and repeated process, this invention proposes to polarize the incident light in a fixed azimuthal angle then illuminate the polarized light onto the target surface, analyze the surface polarized characteristics light in a fixed azimuthal angle, and obtain the light intensity and phase information corresponding to the target surface, then based on the relationship between the characteristics information detected by electromagnetic wave and the light intensity information, to obtain the characteristics information of the target surface. In the measurement process, since there may be deviation in polarized azimuthal angle, incident angle and the analyzer azimuthal angle, this invention proposed to use references surfaces to calibrate, after this calibration, based on all the azimuthal angles, the light intensity corresponding to the target surface and the phase information, use the relationship between the characteristics information and the light intensity information, to obtain the characteristics information of the target surface.

An apparatus and method for simultaneously measuring, in an immersion microchannel environment, the characteristics of molecular junctions such as a low-molecular-weight biomaterial and the like and the refractive index of a buffer solution by using ellipsometry. Specifically, disclosed is an apparatus for simultaneously measuring, with high sensitivity, the change in refractive index of a buffer solution and the junction dynamic characteristics of a biomaterial by allowing polarized incident light to be received at a biomaterial adsorption layer, which is formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor and the like, so as to meet an anti-reflection condition of a P-wave by using a prism structure and a microchannel; and a measurement method using the same.