USE OF ELLIPSOMETRY TO CHARACTERIZE THE SURFACE OF HGCDTE

Ellipsometry is a sensitive, rapid, and nondestructive optical technique for characterizing materials, especially surfaces and films. By measuring the change in the state of polarization of a light beam reflecting from the sample, one may infer certain characteristics of the sample. We present a review of the applications of ellipsometry to HgCdTe and related materials. The fundamentals of the technique are discussed briefly and the optical parameters at the wavelength 6328 angstrom for several materials of interest to infrared technology are listed. The emphasis of this paper is on the interpretation of the ellipsometric data, expressed in terms of the usual parameters PSI and DELTA obtained at a single wavelength. Methods and limitations of the analysis of single films, both nonabsorbing and absorbing, are discussed. Examples of an acceptance window for process monitoring are presented. The ellipsometric signatures of amorphous Te films and microroughness are described, along with a graphical method for interpreting the readings from very thin films. Spectroscopic applications and in situ monitoring of molecular beam epitaxial growth processes are briefly reviewed.