Spectroscopic ellipsometer
US6052188A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 8, 1998 |
| Grant date | Apr 18, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 8, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/211
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A spectral ellipsometer that enables complete simultaneous measurement of ellipsometric parameters of a surface with thin films and coatings for the full wavelength range of interest by using an imaging spectrograph together with a novel optical arrangement that disperses the polarization information of a time-invariant train of optical signals in a linear spatial array of points along or parallel to an input aperture or slit of the imaging spectrograph and disperses the polarization information in wavelength perpendicular to the aperture or slit to provide a two-dimensional spectrograph image that is collected and stored by an imaging array with one axis relating to wavelength and the other axis relating to the light polarization. Multiple simultaneous measurements of the spectral ellipsometric parameters .psi. (psi) and .DELTA. (delta) are taken at all wavelengths without the need of any time-varying or mechanically-moving optical elements. The ellipsometer can be used for real-time measurements of ellipsometric parameters of a moving or static surface with the thin films and coatings.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.