Berlin, 04.06.2014
Spectroscopic Ellipsometer for Measuring all 16 Mueller Matrix Elements
(Spectroscopic Ellipsometer SENresearch with 2C-option)
SENTECH Instruments is a leading supplier of plasma process technology equipment for etching and deposition and thin film metrology instruments based on spectroscopic ellipsometry.
SENTECH dedication to a broad application range for our spectroscopic ellipsometers gave rise to the new 2C-option for Mueller Matrix measurements. This smart option enables SENTECH spectroscopic ellipsometers SENresearch to measure all 16 Mueller Matrix elements with an accuracy of +/- 0.005. Hence, a spectroscopic ellipsometer with 2C-option is perfectly suited for analysing anisoptropic samples, depolarizing samples and structured samples. The images below show examples for an isotropic and an anisotropic sample.
This innovative option for measuring the Mueller Matrix was firstly used by the Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig. The PTB is the national institute for natural and engineering sciences and the highest technical authority for metrology and physical safety engineering in Germany. At the beginning of 2014, Dr Bernd Bodermann, head of the department for Ultra-high Resolution Microscopy, purchased a SENresearch spectroscopic ellipsometer with 2C-option for analyzing optical properties of various anisotropic materials and textured samples.
Interviewing Dr Bodermann on the new ellipsometer he lauds: “The SENresearch perfectly completes our range of scatterometry and optical measurement tools. The system works very reliably and perfectly meets our requirements in all fields of metrology. The analysis of artificial optical materials, such as plasmonic structures and metamaterials is enabled for the first time by spectroscopic ellipsometry. In addition, measuring accuracy is enhanced by measuring spectroscopic and entirely polarimetric quantities.”
The 2C-option extends the capabilities of a SENresearch spectroscopic ellipsometer, which include measuring refractive index, absorption coefficient, and film thickness by the Step Scan Analyzer (SSA) principle. The motorized goniometer allows independent movements of analyzer and compensator to feature angle-dependent scattering measurements of e.g. periodic structures.
Furthermore, operating SENresearch spectroscopic ellipsometers is extremely user friendly. The entire ellipsometric measurement can be performed by just one click and the results are displayed in a few seconds. Hence, the new 2C-option is a powerful tool for Mueller Matrix Measurements to study new optical materials and patterned samples. For more information about the newly developed 2C option, contact us here!
