title: Thickness-profile measurement of transparent thin-film layers by white-light scanning interferometry.
abstract: White-light scanning interferometry is increasingly used for precision profile metrology of engineering surfaces, but its current applications are limited primarily to opaque surfaces with relatively simple optical reflection behavior. A new attempt is made to extend the interferometric method to the thickness-profile measurement of transparent thin-film layers. An extensive frequency-domain analysis of multiple reflection is performed to allow both the top and the bottom interfaces of a thin-film layer to be measured independently at the same time by the nonlinear least-squares technique. This rigorous approach provides not only point-by-point thickness probing but also complete volumetric film profiles digitized in three dimensions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Science Town, Taejon 305-701, Korea. swk@kaist.ac.kr
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Kim