Nondestructive determination of pore size distribution in thin films deposited on solid substrates

A novel technique of adsorption porometry has been developed which allows us to measure pore size distribution of a thin porous film directly on a solid substrate in a simple way. The most important principle of this technique is the use of in situ ellipsometry to determine the amount of adsorbate adsorbed/condensed in the film. The change of the refractive index (n) and the film thickness (d) is used to estimate the amount. In this paper, we demonstrate measurements of pore size distribution in chemical vapor deposited SiO2 and spin-on xerogel thin films on Si wafers. All measurements were carried out at room temperature. (C) 1999 The Electrochemical Society. S1099-0062(98)08-079-1. All rights reserved.