Reflection characterization of anisotropic ultrathin dielectric films on absorbing isotropic substrates

The reflection of linearly polarized light from an ultrathin anisotropic dielectric film on isotropic absorbing substrate is investigated analytically in the long-wavelength limit. All analytical results are correlated with the numerical solution of the anisotropic reflection problem on the basis of rigorous electromagnetic theory. Simple analytical approach developed in this work not only gives a physical insight into the reflection problem but also provides a way of estimating the necessary experimental accuracy for optical diagnostics by reflection characteristics. It is shown that obtained expressions are of immediate interest for determining the parameters of anisotropic surface layers. Innovative possibilities for optical diagnostics of anisotropic properties of ultrathin dielectric layers upon absorbing materials are discussed.     

Laser diagnostics of nanoscale dielectric films on absorbing substrate by differential reflectivity and ellipsometry

The differential reflection characteristics for ultrathin inhomogeneous dielectric film on absorbing substrate are investigated in the long-wavelength approximation. The obtained first-order expressions for differential reflectivity and changes in the ellipsometric angles caused by ultrathin layer are of immediate interest to the solution of the inverse problem. The method to determine the averaged values (not the realistic profile) of refractive index for inhomogeneous nanometric films are shown. The novel possibilities for determining the dielectric constant and thickness of nanoscale homogeneous films by the differential ellipsometric and reflectivity measurements are developed, and a simple method to estimate whether the nanometric film is homogeneous or not is also discussed.     

Infrared ellipsometry of nanometric anisotropic dielectric layers on absorbing materials

An inversion problem of infrared ellipsometry is resolved on the basis of a fresh mathematical approach, which does not use the traditional regression analysis for data handling and has no need of initial guesses for the desired parameters. It is shown that obtained simple analytical equations for ellipsometric quantities open up new possibilities for determining optical parameters of an anisotropic ultrathin layer. The novel method possesses very high sensitivity because it is based on the phase conversion measurements of polarized reflected light. The method is tested using a numerical simulation and the results demonstrate clearly that it is successfully applicable for nanometric layers in the infrared spectral region.     

The influence of a multilayer system of inhomogeneous ultrathin films on reflection of light from dielectric materials

Optics and Spectroscopy - The influence of surface layers on reflection of light in the absence of absorption is studied. The contribution of an ultrathin N-layer film system to the light...     

Inverse relationships for ellipsometry of uniaxially anisotropic nanoscale dielectric films on isotropic materials

The possibilities of determining the optical parameters of uniaxially anisotropic non-absorbing ultrathin films on the basis of ellipsometric parameters are analyzed in the framework of a long-wavelength approximation. It is shown that the special convenience of this analytical approach lies in the fact that it enables to find out the situations where it is possible to decouple the optical constants and the thickness (to provide correlation-free measurements) of an anisotropic ultrathin film. The accuracy of the obtained formulas for determining the parameters of ultrathin films is estimated by computer simulation of the reflection problem on the basis of the exact electromagnetic theory for anisotropic layered systems.     

Thermodesorption of ultrathin organic films studied by reflection

Optical reflection measurements are described as a new and simple technique to measure thicknesses and thickness changes of ultrathin organic overlayers on inorganic support. The prime advantages are high sensitivity in thickness measurements (0.1–1 Å), applicability under varying environmental conditions, nondestructiveness, applicability on different supports and high time resolution. These features are assessed theoretically and experimentally studying Langmuir-Blodgett films on SiO₂ and Au supports. These films, in this work prepared with the model compound arachidic acid, provide the salient feature of well-defined thicknesses in integer multiples of 26.7 Å. Application of the technique in thermodesorption experiments reveals distinguished binding states with binding energies (73–110 kJ/mol) depending on the counterion (Mg²⁺ or Cd²⁺) used in preparing the films and ratios of different states depending on thickness. The binding energy for the main component of multilayers (73 and 81 kJ/mol) with thickness larger than 100 Å is comparable to the heat of evaporation of bulk fatty acids.In addition an analytic expression between layer thicknesses and reflection is derived from the Fresnel equation.     

Characterisation of ultrathin dielectric films with ion beams

In the evolution of silicon-based integrated circuits towards Giga-bit technologies, high-quality dielectric films of nanometer dimensions are needed. The successful fabrication of such ultrathin films on silicon substrates requires a good understanding of their physicochemical characteristics, their growth kinetics, and their growth mechanisms. In this research field, ion beam analytic techniques play an important role. This role as well as future developments are discussed.     

Transmission characteristics of multilayer films composed of electro-optic and dielectric materials

We describe the theoretical evaluation for the transmission characteristics of multilayer films composed of periodic electro-optic and dielectric materials in a variable electric field. The films are assumed to have cavity-type layer stacking structures, which work as a narrow bandpass filter, and their electro-optic material is uni-axial BaTiO₃, whose electro-optic coefficient r₅₁ is larger than 1300 pm/V. The evaluation indicates that films composed of BaTiO₃ and SiO₂ or MgO function as tunable optical bandpass filters, with a tunable range larger than 6 nm for an electric field of less than 4 V/μm.     

Laser diagnostics of nanoscale dielectric films on transparent substrate by integrating differential reflectivity and ellipsometry

The effect of nanometer dielectric films on the differential reflection characteristics of linearly polarized light from non-absorbing materials is investigated in the long-wavelength approximation. The second-order formulas for changes in the reflectance of s- and p-polarized light caused by ultrathin layer are obtained. A detailed analysis of the influence of ultrathin film to the reflectivity of p-polarized light in the vicinity of the Brewster angle is carried out. The novel methods are developed for determining the thickness and refractive index of uniform (or the average values of refractive index of nonuniform) nanometer-scale films by differential reflectivity and ellipsometric measurements.     

具有各向异性的梯度颗粒复合材料的有效介电响应

本文研究了具有梯度壳层椭球颗粒复合体系的有效介电响应，在稀释条件下用准静态近似方法, 推导了颗粒壳层具有任意介电梯度形式的椭球颗粒复合体系的有效介电常数和部分共振条件的一般表达式。并以壳层的介电常数为主轴的幂函数形式为例，得出了通过调节壳层的介电梯度形式、颗粒的结构和形状,可以提高该体系的有效介电常数和实现部分共振的结论。     

Determination of the fundamental optical characteristics of absorbing films

A new method is proposed for the determination of the principal optical characteristics of absorbing films deposited on substrates for all cases when it is impossible to neglect the effect of the substrate. The method is based on measurements of transmission and absorption of unpolarized light.In conclusion, the author thanks F. A. Koroleva for her interest in the work and valuable advice and R. P. Fialkovskaya for kindly supplying the titanium oxide film samples for the measurements.     

圆环单元FSS对改善吸波体雷达吸波特性的影响

设计了圆环单元的频率选择表面（FSS）结构,并将该结构置于吸波材料中构成了复合吸波结构。利用谱域法对该结构进行数值模拟,计算出频率为2～16GHz微波波段的反射系数,并研究了圆环单元尺寸和排布周期对其吸波特性的影响。结果表明：当圆环单元FSS的单元间距为10mm,单元尺寸为3．3mm时,其共振频率的反射率由-8．15dB降低为-14．54dB,-5dB吸波带宽由1．2GHz拓展为3．05GHz;且随圆环单元尺寸增大,共振反射率增加;随单元排列周期增加,吸波材料带宽增大。结果表明,利用FSS可以明显改善吸波材料涂层的吸波性能,通过凋整相关参数可以获得所需的复合吸波结构,拓展FSS在吸波材料中的应用范围。     

Dispersion characteristics of asymmetric coupled anisotropic dielectric waveguides using FDFD

The formulation is developed in the frequency domain and the finite difference method is used for the numerical solution of the scalar wave equation, written in terms of the transverse components of the magnetic field. As a result a conventional eigenvalue problem is obtained without the presence of spurious modes due to the implicit inclusion of the divergence of the magnetic field equal to zero. The formulation is developed to include biaxial anisotropic dielectrics with an index profile varying arbitrarily in the cross section of the waveguide under analysis. This formulation is then applied to the analysis of the influence on the dispersion characteristics of the dimensions of asymmetric coupled rectangular uniaxial anisotropic dielectric waveguides. As expected, the reduction of the height or the width of one of the rectangular dielectric waveguides causes the dispersion curves to move towards higher frequencies.     

Effects of two relaxation processes on the dielectric spectra and conductivity of ultrathin ferroelectric polymer films

Based on the study of dielectric dispersion for 2-nm-thick Langmuir films made of an poly(vinylidenefluoride-trifluoroethylene) P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer, we demonstrated the existence of two simultaneously developing relaxation processes. It was shown that Langmuir-Blodgett films are conducting.     

Sound absorbing characteristics of fibrous metal materials at high temperatures

To study the effect of high temperatures on absorbing properties of fibrous metal materials, the calculations of effective density and effective bulk modulus are presented on basis of Dup‘ere’s model and Tarnow’s model. A modifying factor is presented to modify differences between real effective density and the effective density when the fibers regarded straight. The high temperatures effects on acoustic parameters are studied by thermodynamics theories and variable-property heat transfer. The surface specific acoustic impedances and normal incidence acoustic absorption coefficients are discussed theoretically. Finally, a measurement setup is built to verify the theoretical predictions. The experimental results fit the theoretical results well.     

Thermal stability and dielectric properties of ultrathin CaZrOx films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

The thermal stability and dielectric properties of amorphous CaZrO_x film prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) have been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigation shows that CaZrO_x film still remains amorphous after rapid thermal annealing at 700 °C for 10 min. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) indicates that the crystallization temperature of CaZrO_x film is about 729.53 °C, which is significantly higher than that of amorphous ZrO₂ films prepared at the similar conditions. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) analysis reveal there exists a Si-O transition layer between the CaZrO_x film and Si substrate. The permittivity of CaZrO_x film is about 10.5 (at 1 MHz) by measuring a Pt/CaZrO_x/Pt MIM structure. Under the optimized conditions, a small EOT=0.91 nm and a leakage current density of 125 mA/cm² at 1 V gate voltage were obtained. The enhanced thermal stability and improved electrical characteristics suggest that the amorphous CaZrO_x film may be an attractive gate dielectric alternative for next generation MOS field effect transistor applications. PACS 77.55.+f; 81.15.Fg; 73.40.Qv     

Optical diagnostics of nanoscale dielectric layers on interference films by polarization-dependent differential reflectivity

The small change in the reflectance (differential reflectance) of s- or p-polarized light from an interference film as a result of the deposition of a nanoscale insulating layer on it is investigated theoretically. Analytical relations describing the contribution of nanoscale layers to the reflectance from an interference film as function of film thickness are obtained in the long-wavelength approximation. It is shown that the utilization of interference films in reflection diagnostics through differential measurements allows a significant enhancement of the sensitivity of these techniques and also opens up new possibilities for resolving the inverse problem of determining simultaneously the optical constant and thickness of nanoscale dielectric layers.