Optical functions of transparent thin films of SrTiO(3), BaTiO(3), and SiO(x) determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry

A procedure is presented for accurately determining the thickness, optical functions, and surfaceroughness characteristics of thin-film insulators from two-channel spectroscopic polarization-modulation ellipsometry data. For films with minimal surface roughness, the optical functions can be determined over the entire measured spectrum; for rougher films, the analysis of the spectroscopic ellipsometry data yields meaningful values of the optical functions only in the transparent region. In general, the films must be transparent in a given range of wavelengths sampled by the ellipsometer so that at least two interference oscillations can be observed. The use of the procedure is illustrated with the determination of the optical functions of SrTiO(3) and BaTiO(3) thin films grown on MgO, and of SiO(x) films grown on Si. For SrTiO(3) and BaTiO(3), the thin-film results are compared with the measured optical functions of the respective bulk materials.     

High-throughput characterization of film thickness in thin film materials libraries by digital holographic microscopy

A high-throughput characterization technique based on digital holography for mapping film thickness in thin-film materials libraries was developed. Digital holographic microscopy is used for fully automatic measurements of the thickness of patterned films with nanometer resolution. The method has several significant advantages over conventional stylus profilometry: it is contactless and fast, substrate bending is compensated, and the experimental setup is simple. Patterned films prepared by different combinatorial thin-film approaches were characterized to investigate and demonstrate this method. The results show that this technique is valuable for the quick, reliable and high-throughput determination of the film thickness distribution in combinatorial materials research. Importantly, it can also be applied to thin films that have been structured by shadow masking.     

High-throughput characterization of film thickness in thin film materials libraries by digital holographic microscopy

Abstract

A high-throughput characterization technique based on digital holography for mapping film thickness in thin-film materials libraries was developed. Digital holographic microscopy is used for fully automatic measurements of the thickness of patterned films with nanometer resolution. The method has several significant advantages over conventional stylus profilometry: it is contactless and fast, substrate bending is compensated, and the experimental setup is simple. Patterned films prepared by different combinatorial thin-film approaches were characterized to investigate and demonstrate this method. The results show that this technique is valuable for the quick, reliable and high-throughput determination of the film thickness distribution in combinatorial materials research. Importantly, it can also be applied to thin films that have been structured by shadow masking.     

Transparent thin-film characterization by using differential optical sectioning interference microscopy

We propose an optical thin-film characterization technique, differential optical sectioning interference microscopy (DOSIM), for simultaneously measuring the refractive indices and thicknesses of transparent thin films with submicrometer lateral resolution. DOSIM obtains the depth and optical phase information of a thin film by using a dual-scan concept in differential optical sectioning microscopy combined with the Fabry-Perot interferometric effect and allows the solution of refractive index and thickness without the 2pi phase-wrapping ambiguity. Because DOSIM uses a microscope objective as the probe, its lateral resolution achieves the diffraction limit. As a demonstration, we measure the refractive indices and thicknesses of SiO2 thin films grown on Si substrate and indium-tin-oxide thin films grown on a glass substrate. We also compare the measurement results of DOSIM with those of a conventional ellipsometer and an atomic force microscope.     

Optical pump-and-probe test system for thermal characterization of thin metal and phase-change films

A single-shot optical pump-and-probe test system is reported. The system is designed for thermal characterization of thin-film samples that can change their phase state under the influence of a short and intense laser pulse on a subnanosecond time scale. In combination with numerical analysis, the system can be used to estimate thermal constants of thin films, such as specific heat and thermal conductivity. In-plane and out-of plane thermal conductivity can be estimated independently. The system is intended for use in research on optical data storage and material processing with pulsed laser light. The system design issues are discussed. As application examples, we report on using the system to study thermal dynamics in two different thin-film samples: a gold film on a glass substrate (a single-phase system) and the quadrilayer phase-change stack typical in optical data-storage applications.     

Review of the fundamentals of thin-film growth

The properties of a thin film of a given material depend on the film's real structure. The real structure is defined as the link between a thin film's deposition parameters and its properties. To facilitate engineering the properties of a thin film by manipulating its real structure, thin-film formation is reviewed as a process starting with nucleation followed by coalescence and subsequent thickness growth, all stages of which can be influenced by deposition parameters. The focus in this review is on dielectric and metallic films and their optical properties. In contrast to optoelectronics all these film growth possibilities for the engineering of novel optical films with extraordinary properties are just beginning to be used.     

Temperature-Dependent Refractive Index Determination from Critical Angle Measurements: Implications for Quantitative SPR Sensing

Temperature-dependent measurements of surface coverage and interfacial kinetics remain relatively unexploited in thin-film sensing applications that rely on optical surface-sensitive techniques such as surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR). These techniques are inherently sensitive to the optical properties of the bulk solution in contact with the thin film; therefore, quantitative thin-film sensing requires accurate refractive index data for bulk solutions at the conditions of interest. The refractive index for bulk solutions depends strongly on temperature, solution composition, and optical excitation wavelength. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of critical angle measurements for accurate, independent determination of the refractive index of bulk solutions and present results for different experimental conditions of solution temperature, solution concentration, and excitation wavelength. We also examine the implications of incorrect accounting of the bulk solution for the case of two-color SPR sensing of ultrathin organic films. This sensing technique, which depends inherently on the contrast in the dispersion of the refractive index of the film and the bulk solution, can be over 1 order of magnitude more sensitive than single-color SPR measurements. Critical angle measurements can be implemented in conjunction with SPR measurements and will be invaluable for thin film sensing application in which the bulk refractive index varies during the experiment, for example, in temperature-dependent SPR measurements, or for applications in which the solution refractive index is not known.     

Comparison of two techniques for reliable characterization of thin metal-dielectric films

In the present study we determine the optical parameters of thin metal-dielectric films using two different characterization techniques based on nonparametric and multiple oscillator models. We consider four series of thin metal-dielectric films produced under various deposition conditions with different optical properties. We compare characterization results obtained by nonparametric and multiple oscillator techniques and demonstrate that the results are consistent. The consistency of the results proves their reliability.     

Use of information on the manufacture of samples for the optical characterization of multilayers through a global optimization

We present a procedure for the optical characterization of thin-film stacks from spectrophotometric data. The procedure overcomes the intrinsic limitations arising in the numerical determination of many parameters from reflectance or transmittance spectra measurements. The key point is to use all the information available from the manufacturing process in a single global optimization process. The method is illustrated by a case study of solgel applications.     

Laser reflectometry in situ measurement of lead zirconate titanate film growth

A convenient method is described for optical characterization of thin films during growth. The method has been demonstrated on lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films deposited by pulsed laser ablation for various temperatures. The optical constants of the PZT films as well as the film growth rate were determined in situ by fitting (with three free parameters) the calculated reflectance as a function of film thickness to the experimental reflectance curve as a function of deposition time, as obtained by unpolarized laser reflectometry. The fitted parameters are the uniform complex PZT refractive index and the layer thickness (assumed proportional to time), with the complex refractive index of the platinum substrate being measured previously. These results compare well with the subsequent ellipsometric measurements made to assess the precision of the reflectometry technique.     

Deltan/deltaT measurements performed with guided waves and their application to the temperature sensitivity of wavelength-division multiplexing filters

Measurements of partial differentialn/ partial differentialT of thin films by the m-lines technique are presented. The importance of the substrate material is shown. An example of the wavelength shift of an optical thin-film filter with temperature is studied both theoretically and experimentally. The theoretical wavelength shift of a dense wavelength-division multiplexing filter is discussed.     

Optical absorption of radio frequency sputtered GaAs(Ti) films

Composition and optical absorption of thin films of GaAs(Ti) and GaAs, deposited by sputtering on glass substrates under different process conditions, have been investigated. The thin films obtained are typically 200 nm thick. ToF–SIMS measurements show a quite constant concentration and good uniformity of Ti profiles along the GaAs(Ti) layers in all cases and EPMA results indicate that Ti content increases with the substrate temperature in the sputtering process. Measurements of the transmittance and reflectance spectra of the GaAs and GaAs(Ti) thin films have been carried out. In the optical characterization of the films it is found that optical absorption is enhanced in all samples containing Ti. The determination of the optical gap from the optical absorption, shows optical gap variations from 1.15 to 1.29 eV in the GaAs thin films, and from 0.83 to 1.13 eV in the GaAs(Ti) thin films. The differences in absorption and EgTAUC observed between samples of GaAs and GaAs(Ti) are consistent with the presence of an intermediate band.     

Ellipsometric studies on ZnO:Al thin films: Refinement of dispersion theories

We characterize sputter-deposited aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) thin films on glass and silicon substrates by variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry in the spectral range of 240 nm to 1700 nm. The model dielectric function includes the excitonic effects of direct band-gap semiconductors in the presence of high carrier densities as well as the scattering of free carriers by ionized donors. We show that an energy-dependent broadening term of the band-gap model avoids an extended absorption tail below the absorption threshold as it usually results from Lorentzian broadening. Uniaxial anisotropy takes account of the oriented growth of hexagonal crystalline ZnO:Al thin films. All the parameters derived from the optical measurements such as surface roughness, free-carrier concentration and mobility agree with the results of independent thin-film characterization methods such as atomic-force microscopy, Hall and four-point probe measurements. In the case of the glass samples, we need an additional interface layer which is confirmed by transmission-electron microscopy as an intermix layer of ZnO and glass.     

Dynamics of optical data recording in thin layers of chalcogenide glassy semiconductors

Temporal variation and spatial distribution of the temperature in thin films of chalcogenide glassy semiconductors (CGSs) during laser data recording have been studied. A model describing the dynamics of CGS film heating by laser pulses is proposed and a comparative analysis of theoretical results and experimental data is presented. Methods for determining some physical characteristics of CGS films relevant to the optical data recording are considered.     

Interpretation of reflection and transmission spectra for thin films: transmission

The optical behavior of a thin film, that is, peak positions and intensities, is discussed for transmission under a thin-film approximation. The infrared transmission spectra of thin films, both standing films and those on dielectric substrates, are simulated for s and p polarization at various angles of incidence. For spectral simulation, the matrix method is used in conjunction with noise-free complex refractive indices based on the dispersion theory. The peak positions in the simulated spectra are compared with transverse optic and longitudinal optic frequencies based on the macroscopic theory. The simulated peak intensities for the standing films are compared with the prediction based on the thin-film approximation. Furthermore, it is found from the spectral simulation for thin films on dielectric substrates that the peak intensity for a thin film may depend on the thickness and refractive index of the substrate.     

General approach to reliable characterization of thin metal films

Optical constants of thin metal films are strongly dependent on deposition conditions, growth mode, and thickness. We propose a universal characterization approach that allows reliable determination of thin metal film optical constants as functions of wavelength and thickness. We apply this approach to determination of refractive index dispersion of silver island films embedded between silica layers.     

Frequency dispersion of tantalum oxide films

The optical properties of thin films of tantalum oxide deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering onto optical quartz glass substrates have been studied. It is established that nanodimensional structural inhomogeneities present in the films significantly influence the results of determination of the dispersion of optical characteristics of tantalum oxide films from their experimental transmission spectra.     

Absolute Measurement of Thermophysical and Optical Thin-Film Properties by Photothermal Methods for the Investigation of Laser Damage

Perspectives and limits of the application of the photothermal technique are given for the measurement of absorption, thermal, and thermoelastic properties in thin films. The peculiarities of this technique in the frequency and time domains are discussed in some detail, and selected important results with respect to laser damage studies in optical coatings are pointed out. Emphasis is placed on the absolute measurement of both optical and thermophysical properties in dielectric materials in thin-film form and, also, on the influence of both absorption and changed thermal properties in thin films on their thermally induced laser damage resistance.     

Optical and electronic properties of highly stable and textured hydrogenated ZnO:Al thin films

We have experimentally investigated the effects of hydrogen-annealing on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of Al-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al) thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature. From the X-ray diffraction observations, the orientation of ZnO:Al films was found to be a c-axis in the hexagonal structure. We found that intentionally incorporated hydrogen plays an important role in n-type conduction as a donor, improving free carrier concentration and electrical stability. We simultaneously obtained improved optical transmission and enhanced absorption edge of the ZnO:Al film due to hydrogen-annealing. Our experimental data suggest the hydrogen-annealing process as an important role in the enhancement of electrical and optical properties, which is promising as a back reflector material for thin-film solar cells.     

The effects of Al doping on the optical constants of ZnO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis method

Aluminum doped ZnO (AZO) thin films doped with different aluminum concentrations have been prepared by spray pyrolysis method onto glass substrates. The optical and structural properties of the films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction and optical characterization methods. The X-ray diffraction spectra showed that all of the thin films are of polycrystalline nature. The thin films have (002) as the preferred orientation. The optical band gaps of the films were calculated. The E _g values decrease with increasing Al doping concentration. The refractive index, the extinction coefficient, and the real and imaginary components of dielectric constant are calculated. The obtained results show that all optical parameters keep constant in the visible region, whereas in the ultraviolet region, doping concentration strongly affects the optical parameters of AZO thin films. Optical constants tend to decrease with increasing doping concentration.