Imaging ellipsometry overcomes the limits of classical ellipsometers by determining film thickness and optical properties with a combination of nulling ellipsometry and microscopy. Ellipsometric high contrast images from the surface with a lateral resolution down to 1 ìm are achieved. Spectroscopic ellipsometry enables you to study complex materials like polymer surfaces, graphene flakes, monolayers, biosensors, protein adsorption and many more. With imaging ellipsometry the size of the investigatory object can be reduced to the micrometer range, which enables the user to measure on micro-structured samples. For example, reactive coatings on cantilever-based microsensors may be characteriszed by the ep3_se. Such samples are inaccessible to the large spot size of conventional ellipsometers. Simultaneously it is possible to generate maps of ellipsometric data with spatial resolution down to 1 ìm. Spectroscopy at the imaging level is possible from 360 - 1000 nm and offers the capability of studying thicker layers, because more independent measurements increase the number of fit parameters, which means more information about the sample.
Applications:
- Microscale samples: for example thin films on Si-cantilever; graphene flakes
- Antireflection coatings of laser facets
- Lateral phase separation in a mixed bilayer (Phospholipids)
- Structured films: photopatterned supported phospholipid membrane; micropatterned polymers
- Transparent substrates by using a beam cutter: combined angle of incidence and wavelength spectra
of Fe304 film on 50 ìm thin mica plate
- Microarrays: biochips; protein interaction; kinetic-reader; multi channel measurements
- Measurements on low contrast samples
Key Features and Benefits:
- Real-time ellipsometric contrast micrographs for direct visualization of the sample
- Lateral resolution down to 1 ìm
- Selection of proper wavelength for absorbing materials
- Imaging of thin layers on liquid surfaces (nanofilm_ep3 can also be used as a Brewster angle microscope)
- Analysis of multilayer/multi parameter systems
- Optimized sensitivity by wavelength tuning
- Patented motorized goniometer - accuracy of 0.01°
- Solid state laser (658 nm, 50 mW)
- Separate spectroscopic box with Xe Arc lamp and 46 interference filters
- epview-software - data acquisition and control of the instrument