The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 10, 1994
Filed:
Dec. 31, 1991
NKK Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
Movable optical parts included in an ellipsometer are removed to increase the measurement speed, and a specific quadrant to which a phase difference .DELTA. as an ellipsometric parameter belongs is determined by one measuring operation. A beam is radiated from a light source section onto a measurement target, and the reflected beam having an elliptically polarized beam, which is reflected by the target, is divided into four different polarized light components. The optical intensities of the respective light components are then detected. Ellipsometric parameters .psi. and .DELTA. are calculated on the basis of the detected four optical intensities. In addition, the above-mentioned four different polarized light components are obtained by using a wave plate. Furthermore, the polarization directions of the four polarized light components whose optical intensities are obtained are respectively set at angles -45.degree., +45.degree., 90.degree., and 0.degree. with respect to a reference direction. Alternatively, a composite beam splitter is used to obtain four polarized light components.