Expand this Topic clickable element to expand a topic
Skip to content
Optica Publishing Group

Optimization of off-null ellipsometry for air∕solid interfaces

Not Accessible

Your library or personal account may give you access

Abstract

The optimization of off-null ellipsometry is described with emphasis on the improvement of sample thickness sensitivity. Optimal conditions are dependent on azimuth angle settings of the polarizer, compensator, and analyzer in a polarizer-compensator-sample-analyzer ellipsometer arrangement. Numerical simulation utilized offers an approach to present the dependence of the sensitivity on the azimuth angle settings, from which optimal settings corresponding to the best sensitivity are derived. For a series of samples of SiO2 layer (thickness in the range of 1.86.5  nm) on silicon substrate, the theory analysis proves that sensitivity at the optimal settings is increased 20 times compared to that at null settings used in most works, and the relationship between intensity and thickness is simplified as a linear type instead of the original nonlinear type, with the relative error reduced to 1/100 at the optimal settings. Furthermore the discussion has been extended toward other factors affecting the sensitivity of the practical system, such as the linear dynamic range of the detector, the signal-to-noise ratio and the intensity from the light source, etc. Experimental results from the investigation of SiO2 layer on silicon substrate are chosen to verify the optimization.

© 2007 Optical Society of America

Full Article  |  PDF Article
More Like This
Optimization of azimuth angle settings in polarizer–compensator–sample–analyzer off-null ellipsometry

Guoliang Wang, Hans Arwin, and Roger Jansson
Appl. Opt. 42(1) 38-44 (2003)

Optimization of off-null ellipsometry in sensor applications

Guoliang Wang, Hans Arwin, and Roger Jansson
Appl. Opt. 43(10) 2000-2005 (2004)

Automatic null ellipsometry with an interferometer

Lionel R. Watkins
Appl. Opt. 48(32) 6277-6280 (2009)

Cited By

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Figures (5)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Figure files are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Tables (1)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Article tables are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Equations (19)

You do not have subscription access to this journal. Equations are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.

Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription

Select as filters


Select Topics Cancel
© Copyright 2024 | Optica Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved