Application of Spectroscopic Ellipsometry and Mueller Ellipsometry to Optical Characterization E
Application of Spectroscopic Ellipsometry and Mueller Ellipsometry to Optical Characterization E. Garcia-Caurel1, A. De Martino1, J-P. Gaston2, L.Yan3 1LPICM, CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France 2HORIBA Scientific, Chilly-Mazarin, France 3HORIBA Scientific, Edison, NJ, USA This article aims to provide a brief overview of both established and novel ellipsometry techniques, as well as their applications. Ellipsometry is an indirect optical technique in that information about the physical properties of a sample is obtained through modeling analysis. Standard ellipsometry is typically used to characterize optically isotropic bulk and/or layered materials. More advanced techniques like Mueller ellipsometry, also known as polarimetry in literature, are necessary for the complete and accurate characterization of anisotropic and/or depolarizing samples which occur in many instances, both in research and “real life” activities. In this article we cover three main areas of subject: basic theory of polarization, standard ellipsometry and Mueller ellipsometry. Section I is devoted to a short and pedagogical introduction of the formalisms used to describe light polarization. The following section is devoted to standard ellipsometry. The focus is on the experimental aspects, including both pros and cons of commercially available instruments. Section III is devoted to recent advances in Mueller ellipsometry. Applications examples are provided in sections II and III to illustrate how each technique works. Keywords: Polarization; Ellipsometry; Thin Films; Mueller matrix INTRODUCTION The use of polarized light to characterize the optical properties of materials, either in bulk or thin film format, has enjoyed great success over the past decades. The different methods of generating and analyzing the polarization properties of light is traditionally called Ellipsometry.
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