Phase retrieval from the spectral interference signal used to measure thickness of SiO2 thin film on silicon wafer

A new method of phase retrieval from the spectral interference signal is presented, which is based on the use of a windowed Fourier transform in the wavelength domain. The phase retrieved by the method is utilized for measuring the thickness of SiO2 thin film on a silicon wafer. The numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate high precision of the phase retrieval. The feasibility of the method is confirmed in processing experimental data from a slightly dispersive Michelson interferometer with one of the mirrors replaced by SiO2 thin film on the silicon wafer. We determine the thin-film thickness for four samples provided that the optical constants for all the materials involved in the experiment are known. We confirm very good agreement with the previous results obtained by the fitting of the recorded channelled spectra to the theoretical ones.