REFLECTION SPECTROTOMOGRAPHY OF THIN NONUNIFORM SURFACE-LAYERS

The instrumental and methodological basis of ellipsometric spectrotomo graphy for nondestructive monitoring of the distribution of physicoche mical characteristics over the depth of a thin nonuniform surface laye r is presented. Spectral ellipsometric measurements of the light refle cted from a nonuniform surface layer make it possible to implement the tomographic principle and to reconstruct the inner structure of the l ayer. A design for an ellipsometric spectral tomograph is proposed, ba sed on widely used spectral reflectance methods of studying surfaces: spectral ellipsometry and reflection spectroscopy. (C) 1997 The Optica l Society of America.