Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Ellipsometric”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2008

Gold Nanoparticle Labels Amplify Ellipsometric Signals

The ellipsometric method reported in the immediately preceding article was developed in conjunction with a method of using gold nanoparticles as labels on biomolecules that one seeks to detect. The purpose of the labeling is to exploit the optical properties of the gold nanoparticles in order to amplify the measurable ellipsometric effects and thereby to enable ultrasensitive detection of the labeled biomolecules without need to develop more-complex ellipsometric instrumentation. The colorimetric, polarization, light-scattering, and other optical properties of nanoparticles depend on their sizes and shapes. In the present method, these size-and-shape-dependent properties are used to magnify the polarization of scattered light and the diattenuation and retardance of signals derived from ellipsometry. The size-and-shape-dependent optical properties of the nanoparticles make it possible to interrogate the nanoparticles by use of light of various wavelengths, as appropriate, to optimally detect particles of a specific type at high sensitivity. Hence, by incorporating gold nanoparticles bound to biomolecules as primary or secondary labels, the performance of ellipsometry as a means of detecting the biomolecules can be improved. The use of gold nanoparticles as labels in ellipsometry has been found to afford sensitivity that equals or exceeds the sensitivity achieved by use of fluorescence-based methods. Potential applications for ellipsometric detection of gold nanoparticle-labeled biomolecules include monitoring molecules of interest in biological samples, in-vitro diagnostics, process monitoring, general environmental monitoring, and detection of biohazards.

Venkatasubbarao, Srivatsa↗
NASA NTRS1993

Ellipsometric study of ambient-produced overlayer growth rate on YBa2Cu3O(7-x) films

An ellipsometric study of ambient-reaction-produced BaCO3 overlayer growth on laser-ablated YBCO is presented as a function of time. The effects of the anisotropy of YBCO on the ellipsometric data inversion process are discussed, and it is concluded that with certain restrictions on the data acquisition method, the anisotropic substrate can be adequately modeled by its isotropic pseudodielectric function for the purpose of overlayer thickness estimation. It is found that after an initial period of rapid growth attributed to the chemical reaction of the exposed surface bonds, the BaCO3 overlayer growth is linear at 1-2 A per day. This slow growth rate is attributed to the complexity of the BaCO3-forming reaction, together with the need for ambient reactants to diffuse through the overlayer.

Sieg, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Ellipsometric measurements of epitaxial GaAs layers on a GaAs substrate

An extensive examination of ellipsometric equations for anisotropic surfaces and films is reported. It is shown that the reflection matrix can be calculated by writing Maxwell's equations in 6 x 6 matrix form and by applying appropriate boundary conditions at proper points in the development of the formalism, reducing the equation for the propagation of light to an eigenvalue problem using a 4 x 4 matrix.

Desmet, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Ellipsometric study of silicon nitride on gallium arsenide

A method for optimizing the sensitivity of ellipsometric measurements for thin dielectric films on semiconductors is described in simple physical terms. The technique is demonstrated for the case of sputtered silicon nitride films on gallium arsenide.

Alterovitz, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Ellipsometric surface analysis of wear tracks produced by different lubricants

Ellipsometric analyses of wear tracks in berings of M-50 steel were carried out after operation under severe conditions with different lubricant additives. The base lubricant was a synthetic ester. It was found that the surface and wear additives benzotirazole and tricresylyphosphate produced very patchy oxide layers. Dioctyldiphenylamine, a common antioxidant, on the other hand produced smoother films. The analyses were performed with a specially designed and constructed ellipsometer of very high (20 micron) spatial resolution. The results are consistent with data obtained by Auger electron spectroscopy.

Lauer, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Ellipsometric study of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) laser ablated and co-evaporated films

High temperature superconducting films of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) (YBCO were grown on SrTiO3, LaA1O3, and YSZ substrates using two techniques: excimer laser ablation with in situ annealing and co-evaporation of Y, Cu, and BaF2 with ex-situ annealing. Film thicknesses were typically 5000 A, with predominant c-axis alignment perpendicular to the substrate. Critical temperatures up to Tc(R=O)=90 K were achieved by both techniques. Ellipsometric measurements were taken in the range 1.6 to 4.3 eV using a variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer. The complex dielectric function of the laser ablated films was reproducible from run to run, and was found to be within 10 percent of that previously reported for (001) oriented single crystals. A dielectric overlayer was observed in these films, with an index of refraction of approximately 1.55 and nearly zero absorption. For the laser ablated films the optical properties were essentially independent of substrate material. The magnitude of the dielectric function obtained for the co-evaported films was much lower than the value reported for single crystals, and was sample dependent.

Alterovitz, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Ellipsometric study of cubic SiC

Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) was applied to cubic SiC. This technique gives absolute values of the refractive index (n) and the extinction coefficient (k) of a substrate and/or a thin film of unknown material. The samples were grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on p-type silicon. The substrate was aligned either on the (001) axis or 1 degree of (001). Several growth temperatures and growth durations were used. The samples were divided into two groups: (1) thick films of order 10 microns grown near optimal conditions of temperature, flow, and gas ratio; and (2) thin films of order 100 A grown at various temperatures. The ellipsometric results for samples in group 1 were analyzed using a two-phase model (substrate and ambient). Results show that for wavelengths in the visible, the refractive index of these CVD samples is equal to that reported for single crystal cubic SiC, within the experimental error, which is on the order of 1 percent. However, the extinction coefficient has a relatively large value, even above the band gap. The absorption is sample dependent and has a broad peak in the visible. The results for samples in group 2 were analyzed using a three-phase model (substrate, film, and ambient). The dielectric functions of the film, deducted from the measured n and k, were further analyzed using the effective medium approximation. The results show that the films contain 30 to 40 vol. percent amorphous silicon, i.e., silicon with only short-range order.

Alterovitz, Samuel A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Ellipsometric study of InGaAs MODFET material

In(x)Ga(1-x)As based MODFET (modulation doped field effect transistor) material was grown by molecular beam epitaxy on semi-insulating InP substrates. Several structures were made, including lattice matched and strained layer InGaAs. All structures also included several layers of In(0.52)Al(0.48)As. Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to characterize the structures. The experimental data, together with the calibration function for the constituent materials, were analyzed to yield the thickness of all the layers of the MODFET structure. Results of the ellipsometrically determined thicknesses compare very well with the reflection high energy electron diffraction in situ thickness measurements.

Alterovitz, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Ellipsometric measurement of liquid film thickness

The immediate objective of this research is to measure liquid film thickness from the two equilibrium phases of a monotectic system in order to estimate the film pressure of each phase. Thus liquid film thicknesses on the inside walls of the prism cell above the liquid level have been measured elliposmetrically for the monotectic system of succinonitrile and water. The thickness varies with temperature and composition of each plane. The preliminary results from both layers at 60 deg angle of incidence show nearly uniform thickness from about 21 to 23 C. The thickness increases with temperature but near 30 C the film appears foggy and scatters the laser beam. As the temperature of the cell is raised beyond room temperature it becomes increasingly difficult to equalize the temperature inside and outside the cell. The fogging may also be an indication that solution, not pure water, is adsorbed onto the substrate. Nevertheless, preliminary results suggest that ellipsometric measurement is feasible and necessary to measure more accurately and rapidly the film thickness and to improve thermal control of the prism walls.

Chang, Ki Joon↗
NASA NTRS1990

Ellipsometric study of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) laser ablated and co-evaporated films

High temperature superconducting films of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) (YBCO) were grown on SrTiO3, LaAl03, and YSZ substrates using two techniques: excimer laser ablation with in situ annealing and co-evaporation of Y, Cu, and BaF2 with ex-situ annealing. Film thicknesses were typically 5000 A, with predominant c-axis alignment perpendicular to the substrate. Critical temperatures up to Tc(R = 0) = 90 K were achieved by both techniques. Ellipsometric measurements were taken in the range 1.6 to 4.3 eV using a variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer. The complex dielectric function of the laser ablated films was reproducible from run to run, and was found to be within 10 percent of that previously reported for (001) oriented single crystals. A dielectric overlayer was observed in these films, with an index of refraction of approximately 1.55 and nearly zero absorption. For the laser ablated films the optical properties were essentially independent of substrate material. The magnitude of the dielectric function obtained for the co-evaporated films was much lower than the value reported for single crystals, and was sample dependent.

Alterovitz, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Ellipsometric study of Si(0.5)Ge(0.5)/Si strained-layer superlattices

We present an ellipsometric study of two Si(0.5)Ge(0.5)/Si strained-layer superlattices grown by MBE at low temperature (500 C), and compare our results with X-ray diffraction (XRD) estimates. Excellent agreement is obtained between target values, XRD, and ellipsometry when one of two available Si(x)Ge(1-x) databases is used. We show that ellipsometry can be used to nondestructively determine the number of superlattice periods, layer thicknesses, Si(x)Ge(1-x) composition, and oxide thickness without resorting to additional sources of information. We also note that we do not observe any strain effect on the E1 critical point.

Sieg, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Ellipsometric study of metal-organic chemically vapor deposited III-V semiconductor structures

An ellipsometric study of MOCVD-grown layers of AlGaAs and InGaAs in thick films and strained layer complex structures is presented. It is concluded that the ternary composition of thick nonstrained layers can be accurately determined to within experimental errors using numerical algorithms. In the case of complex structures, thickness of all layers and the alloy composition of nonstrained layers can be determined simultaneously, provided that the correlations between parameters is no higher than 0.9.

Alterovitz, Samuel A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Ellipsometric characterization of In(0.52)Al(0.48)As and of modulation doped field effect transistor structures on InP substrates

The dielectric function of a thick layer of In(0.52)Al(0.48)As lattice matched to InP was measured by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry in the range 1.9-4.1 eV. The In(0.52)Al(0.48)As was protected from oxidation using a thin In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As cap that was mathematically removed for the dielectric function estimate. The In(0.52)Al(0.48)As dielectric function was then verified by ellipsometric measurements of other In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As/In(0.52)Al(0.48)As structures, including (MODFET), and is shown to provide accurate structure layer thicknesses.

Alterovitz, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Ellipsometric study of Si(0.5)Ge(0.5)/Si strained-layer superlattices

An ellipsometric study of two Si(0.5)Ge(0.5)/Si strained-layer super lattices grown by MBE at low temperature (500 C) is presented, and results are compared with x ray diffraction (XRD) estimates. Excellent agreement is obtained between target values, XRD, and ellipsometry when one of two available Si(x)Ge(1-x) databases is used. It is shown that ellipsometry can be used to nondestructively determine the number of superlattice periods, layer thicknesses, Si(x)Ge(1-x) composition, and oxide thickness without resorting to additional sources of information. It was also noted that we do not observe any strain effect on the E(sub 1) critical point.

Sieg, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Spectroscopic ellipsometric characterization of Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x) strained-layer superlattices

Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) was employed to characterize Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x) strained-layer superlattices. An algorithm was developed, using the available optical constants measured at a number of fixed x values of Ge composition, to compute the dielectric function spectrum of Si(1-x)Ge(x) at an arbitrary x value in the spectral range 17 to 5.6 eV. The ellipsometrically determined superlattice thicknesses and alloy compositional fractions were in excellent agreement with results from high-resolution x ray diffraction studies. The silicon surfaces of the superlattices were subjected to a 9:1 HF cleaning prior to the SE measurements. The HF solution removed silicon oxides on the semiconductor surface, and terminated the Si surface with hydrogen-silicon bonds, which were monitored over a period of several weeks, after the HF cleaning, by SE measurements. An equivalent dielectric layer model was established to describe the hydrogen-terminated Si surface layer. The passivated Si surface remained unchanged for greater than 2 h, and very little surface oxidation took place even over 3 to 4 days.

Yao, H.↗