What is it about?
Ellipsometers measure the optical properties and thicknesses of thin-film materials by using light. However, commercial ellipsometers have limited lateral resolution up to tens-of-microns and exhibit very slow data acquisition beyond this resolution. This inhibits the effective utilization of ellipsometers for micron-scale structures which are abundant in today’s technology and research.
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Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
Why is it important?
In our work, we demonstrate a patented, microscope-integrated ellipsometer which can measure areas as small as 2 microns wide with a record-fast data acquisition. This allows for highly accurate and fast optical characterization of micron-scale structures, and promises a paradigm shift in the capabilities of ellipsometry in industry and research. Importantly, our technology can be integrated with ordinary microscopes by addition of a few standard components, transforming the most fundamental imaging equipment into superior optical characterization instruments in an affordable manner.
Perspectives
I am looking into the future with excitement to see how the new capabilities offered by our instrument will contribute to technology and science, while also expecting to see outcomes that we cannot even foresee at this stage.
Ralfy Kenaz
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Mapping spectroscopic micro-ellipsometry with sub-5 microns lateral resolution and simultaneous broadband acquisition at multiple angles, Review of Scientific Instruments, February 2023, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0123249.
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