title: Spectroscopic ellipsometry and polarimetry for materials and systems analysis at the nanometer scale: state-of-the-art, potential, and perspectives.
abstract: This paper discusses the fundamentals, applications, potential, limitations, and future perspectives of polarized light reflection techniques for the characterization of materials and related systems and devices at the nanoscale. These techniques include spectroscopic ellipsometry, polarimetry, and reflectance anisotropy. We give an overview of the various ellipsometry strategies for the measurement and analysis of nanometric films, metal nanoparticles and nanowires, semiconductor nanocrystals, and submicron periodic structures. We show that ellipsometry is capable of more than the determination of thickness and optical properties, and it can be exploited to gain information about process control, geometry factors, anisotropy, defects, and quantum confinement effects of nanostructures.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Losurdo
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bergmair
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cattelan
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cobet
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Martino
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fleischer
authors.forename: Zorana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dohcevic-Mitrovic
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Esser
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galliet
authors.forename: Rados
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gajic
authors.forename: Dušan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hemzal
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hingerl
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Humlicek
authors.forename: Razvigor
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ossikovski
authors.forename: Zoran V
authors.initials: ZV
authors.lastname: Popovic
authors.forename: Ottilia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Saxl