LED magneto-optical ellipsometer with the switching of orthogonal polarization states

A light-emitting diode (LED) magneto-optical ellipsometer with the switching of orthogonal polarization states is described. The distinctive features of the ellipsometer are the implementation of the maximally deep azimuthal modulation, application of two-channel detector, use of a set of LEDs ensuring a high signal-to-noise ratio, and the absence of moving polarization elements. These features have substantially increased the precision of measurements of ellipsometric parameters ψ and Δ for ferromagnetic materials and their changes (δψ and δΔ) in the magnetic field, which are connected for the transverse Kerr configuration by simple relations with magneto-optical parameters. At wavelengths of 365, 372, 390, 405, 420, and 465 nm, the precision of ψ-δψ and Δ-δΔ measurements of metal films is about 0.0003° and 0.001°, respectively. The spectral resolution is 4 nm; the minimal measurement time of ψ and Δ in the continuous spectral range of 270–1000 nm is 20 s; the magnetic field is varied from–2500 to +2500 Oe; and the step of the magnetic field setting is 0.5 Oe.