ELLIPSOMETRIC SPECTROTOMOGRAPHY - METHOD FOR NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING OF THIN INHOMOGENEOUS OXIDE LAYERS

The methodical basics of ellipsometric spectrotomography are presented . With this method, the distribution of physicochemical properties wit hin a thin inhomogeneous surface (i.e., oxide) layer can nondestructiv ely be revealed. Spectral ellipsometric measurements of light reflecte d from an inhomogeneous surface layer allow one to implement the tomog raphic principle and gain information on the internal constitution of the layer by solving an integral equation of the first kind. The metho d was successfully used for nondestructive depth profiling of the chem ical composition of the thin inhomogeneous oxide film on the surface o f an Fe-18Cr alloy during annealing and oxidation.