ROTATING-COMPENSATOR MULTICHANNEL ELLIPSOMETRY FOR CHARACTERIZATION OF THE EVOLUTION OF NONUNIFORMITIES IN DIAMOND THIN-FILM GROWTH

A multichannel spectroscopic ellipsometer based on the rotating-compen sator principle has been applied to obtain the evolution of spectra (1 .5-4.0 eV) in the normalized Stokes vector of the light beam reflected from the surface of a nanocrystalline diamond film during growth. Spe ctra in the ellipsometry angles (psi, Delta) provide the, time evoluti on of the microstructure and optical properties of the film in thin la yers, whereas the spectra in the degree of polarization provide the ti me evolution of nonuniformities in the growth process attributed to li ght scattering by diamond nuclei in the initial stage of growth and to thickness gradients over the probed area in thicker layers. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.