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Precise Determination of the Complex Refractive Index and Thickness of a Very Weakly Absorbing Thin Film on a Semi-transparent Substrate Using Reflection Ellipsometry and Transmittance Analysis

반사 타원법과 투과율 분석법을 사용한 반투명 기층 위 매우 약한 광흡수 박막의 두께와 복소굴절률 정밀 결정

  • Received : 2023.11.28
  • Accepted : 2023.12.19
  • Published : 2024.02.25

Abstract

Explicit expressions for the transmission pseudo-ellipsometric constants and transmittance of a semi-transparent glass substrate coated with thin films are presented to determine the optical constants of a very weakly absorbing thin film coated on a glass substrate. The intensity of the multiply reflected light inside the semi-transparent substrate is superposed incoherently and the light absorption by the substrate is properly treated, so that modeling analysis of thin films coated on a semi-transparent substrate can be performed with increased accuracy. The extinction coefficient derived from transmittance analysis is compared to that from ellipsometric analysis in the weakly absorbing region, and the difference between the two extinction coefficients is discussed in relation to the sensitivities of the transmittance and ellipsometric constants. This transmittance analysis, together with ellipsometric analysis, is applied to a glass substrate coated with a SiN thin film, and it is shown that the thickness and complex refractive index of the SiN thin film can be determined accurately, even though the extinction coefficient is very small.

유리기층에 코팅되어 있는 박막의 광학상수를 정확하게 분석하기 위해, 반투명 기층 위에 다층박막이 코팅되어 있는 시료의 유사 투과타원 상수 표현과 투과율 표현을 구체적으로 제시하였다. 두꺼운 기층에서 일어나는 다중반사로 인한 빛의 세기를 결맞지 않도록 중첩하는 동시에, 반투명 기층의 광흡수 영역에서 기층의 흡수를 정확하게 반영함으로써 다층박막이 코팅된 반투명 기층 시료의 정확한 모델링 분석이 가능하게 하였다. 흡광도가 매우 낮은 파장대역에서 투과율 측정에 기반한 분석과 타원법에 기반한 모델링 분석 방법이 가지는 박막의 소광계수의 차이를 투과율의 민감도와 타원상수의 민감도 분석을 통하여 비교 분석하였다. 투과율 분석법과 반사 타원법을 SiN 박막이 코팅된 유리기층 시료에 적용함으로써 소광계수가 매우 작을 때에도 SiN 박막의 복소굴절률과 두께를 정확하게 결정할 수 있음을 보였다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

한국산업기술진흥원(2020년 소재·부품·장비 양산성능평가지원사업, 과제번호: P0015756).

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