Tunable laser thin film interrogation

Film thickness is not only a crucial parameter in producing processes, such as semiconductor and optics production, but also a monitored variable in chemistry and biology, for example for tissue microscopy. Many working principles have been demonstrated and are in use in different fields due to their different limitations (observation film thickness, accuracy, measurement speed, etc.). One of these working principles is thin film reflectometry (TFR). One method is based on a laser source and monitors the reflected intensity over growing film time. Another one employs a spectrally broad light source and measures the reflected intensity using a spectrometer. We introduce and demonstrate a measurement system based on a tunable laser stage. There are several different setups for laser wavelength tuning. One of the most promising solutions is based on monolithic laser diodes. Rapid tuning of the lasers wavelength is crucial for achieving high measurement rates. Monolithic laser diodes offer highest tuning rates and hence high performance. On the other hand, mechanically tunable lasers show broadband spectra that result in higher thickness accuracy in this particular application. Hence, we show a comparison of thin film measurements with a monolithic and a mechanically tunable laser source. This comparison shows that the measurement accuracy of the monolithic laser diode can compete with mechanical tuning. Furthermore, it is a promising approach when measurement tuning speed is an issue. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.