ELLIPSOMETRY OF MULTILAYER FREE-LYING FILMS

The possibility of using ellipsometry for the investigation of a transparent system which represents a multilayer, free-lying film - that is, a film which is surrounded on both sides by the same phase, and whose geometrical thickness is considerably smaller than the diameter of the light beam of the ellipsometer - is discussed. It has been demonstrated that ellipsometry of multi-layer free-lying films (MFFE) allows: (1) the determination of the optical characteristics of one-layer isotropic films; (2) the diagnosis of anisotropic one-layer films; and (3) the simultaneous determination, with high accuracy of the thicknesses and the refraction indices of sub-thin isotropic films on both isotropic and anisotropic film-substrates. The suggested method enables one to expand the range of thin film materials to be examined by using ellipsometry. © 1990.