DISCRETE POLARIZATION STATE ROTATABLE COMPENSATOR SPECTROSCOPIC ELLIPSOMETER SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF CALIBRATION

摘要

Disclosed are spectroscopic ellipsometer, and combined spectroscopic reflectometer/ellipsometer systems. The spectroscopic ellipsometer system portion includes polarizer (P) and analyzer (A) elements which remain fixed in position during data acquisition, and a step-wise rotatable compensator (DSP) electromagnetic beam transmitting means, which serves to enable imposing a plurality of sequentially discrete, rather than continuously varying, polarization states on said beam of electromagnetic radiation. Further disclosed is an operation procedure for said spectroscopic ellipsometer system portion of the invention which involves the gathering of, for each of a plurality of ellipsometrically distinct sample systems, spectroscopic data at a sequential plurality of discrete electromagnetic radiation beam polarization states, combined with providing of a mathematical model of the spectroscopic ellipsometer system and application of a mathematical regression procedure.