Ex situ ellipsometric investigation of nanocolumns inclination angle of obliquely evaporated silicon thin films -: art. no. 153103

We propose an application of spectroscopic ellipsometry pertinent to the characterization of nanostructure inclination of oblique thin films. This technique is employed ex situ in the measurement of silicon thin films fabricated at oblique incidence and modeled as aggregate microstructures formed from amorphous silicon, silicon oxide, and void in the effective medium model. The technique may also be utilized in situ as a powerful probe for the characterization of oblique thin films during their fabrication and processing. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.