DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPTICAL-MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION FACILITY

Several optical techniques, including Raman scattering, have been used effectively to elucidate many fundamental properties of matter. The i nformation obtained from laboratory-based experiments has provided val uable information on the basic physical processes present in materials . Recent developments in the instrumentation used to acquire and analy ze optical data have increased the versatility of these laser-based pr obes to the point that many techniques can now be transferred into ind ustrial processing environments. The noncontact nature of these diagno stic tools can permit industries to produce and process materials to t he ever-increasing standards required, for example, for advanced optoe lectronic devices. We describe a state-of-the-art, laboratory-based op tical characterization facility using Raman scattering that we have de veloped, and we discuss several experimental studies that can assist i ndustry to monitor production quality.