Novel Real Time Optics for Thin Film Materials Research

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This research project seeks to advance the art and science of novel optical probes of thin solid films. The project -emphasis is on spectroscopic probes with sub-monolayer resolution that can be performed in real time during film growth and modification. Such real time probes will lend new physical insights into the mechanisms of film growth, the optical properties of solids and their interfaces, and the relationships between film growth processes and the resulting properties. The scientific studies will focus on the following three themes: (i) phase evolution in thin films; (ii) optical models of nanoscale, microscale, and macroscale structures; and (iii) the optical effects of interfaces and anisotropy in thin films. Such efforts represent the continuation of a long-term research program, starting with the development of two-parameter multichannel ellipsometry over a decade ago and culminating with the recent development of sixteen-parameter multichannel Mueller matrix spectroscopy. This research endows undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral scholars with interdisciplinary skills in condensed matter, materials, and optical physics necessary for future positions in academia or industry. The project has great potential for transfer of technology and skilled researchers to industries developing thin film photovoltaics, optical and wear-resistant coatings, and semiconductor metrological instruments. This research project is devoted to the development of thin films and their associated measurement tools for applications in science and technology. Thin films are applied onto the surfaces of materials in order to provide functionality at low cost, and are used in numerous technologies from microelectronics to electrical energy production. Research and development on thin films for such advanced applications are expedited by measurement tools that can determine the film thickness and other properties in real time, i.e., non-invasively during the fabrication process. In this project, such tools will be developed and applied to optimize thin film growth processes used by a variety of industries. These efforts represent the continuation of a long-term research program that began more than a decade ago and has provided new tools and optimum processes now being used extensively in academia and industry. This research project will educate undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral scholars from diverse backgrounds who will acquire skills spanning a number of disciplines in materials research. The project will have great potential for transfer of technology and skilled researchers to industry, thereby enhancing the nation's science and technology infrastructure. Industries developing optical, mechanical and wear-resistant coatings, thin film solar cells, and semiconductor analysis equipment will benefit.