A multiple angle ellipsometric method is used for the measurement of substrates covered by contaminant layers and for the measurement of thin film layers on substrates. The method evaluates the fundamental optical constants N and K of the substrate and film layers deposited on it. Results are given for oxided aluminum films on glass, contamination layers on gallium arsenide, silicon oxide layers on silicon, and silicon nitride layers on silicon. This method is applicable to optical and semiconductor substrate and film evaluation, provided the number of layers in the sample is known and the layers are partially transparent.

A multiangle single-wavelength ellipsometric method has been applied to the evaluation of anisotropy and stress in SiO(2) films grown on silicon substrate. The method is nondestructive, and it does not require a priori knowledge of the dielectric functions of the oxide layer. A novel theoretical anisotropic multiple-layer program is used to calculate the Fresnel reflection coefficients at various angles of incidence; and an iterative least-squares algorithm compares the theoretical calculations to the experimental data. The data-fitting process yields the index, the thickness, and the anisotropy of the oxide layer and also the index and thickness of the SiO(x) transition layer.

Ellipsometric measurements at 10.6 microm using a modulated light ellipsometer and ellipsometer and reflectometer measurements at 0.6328 microm are reported for the refractive indices of As(2)S(3), As(2)Se(3), and ZnS films deposited on KCl substrates. The observation of strain-induced anisotropy is reported, and an analysis of the effects of anisotropy in thin film ellipsometry is presented.

: The window materials that are under investigation include selected alkali halides and alkaline earth fluorides, in both single and polycrystalline form and of alloyed and unalloyed composition. The enclosed papers discuss the results of work reported at the topical meeting on High Power Laser Optical Components and Component Materials and the Materials for High Power Laser Symposium at the National Bureau of Standards facility in Boulder, Colorado, October 3-6, 1977. The papers are relevant to the major task subdivisions of our program; surface finishing, reactive atmosphere processing, window coatings, optical evaluation and infrared ellipsometry measurements.

In this paper we highlight the salient features of the Hughes Modulated Light Ellipsometer system including the details of the critical optical and electronic components. We present an analytical discussion of the effects of various experimental errors, including signal stability and sample alignment, on the accuracy of the system for substrate and thin-film measurements. The regions of optimum measurement accuracy deduced from these analytical studies are used as an experimental guide in the laboratory. The system has been used to study various substrates and film-substrate systems including ThF4, ZnSe, KCl, CdTe, ZnSe on KCl, and ThF4 on ZnSe. The results of these measurements are presented and discussed.

10.6-microm ellipsometric measurements, using a modulated light ellipsometer, are reported for the refractive imdies of KCL, CdTe, and ZnSe crystals and for ZnSe and ThF(4) films.