Dielectrics for thin film applications
Dielectric
Thousands upon thousands of electrolyte films are used in optics, semiconductors, and dozens of other industries, and Filmetrics' instruments can measure almost all films. Common dielectrics include:
Silicon dioxide - one of the simple materials, mainly because of its non-absorbency in most parts of the spectrum (k=0), and it is very close to the stoometric ratio (that is, silicon: oxygen is very close to 1:2). Silica grown on heat has a spectral reaction specification and is usually used as a standard for thickness and refractive index. Filmetrics can measure the thickness of silica ranging from 3nm to 1mm.
Silicon nitride - The measurement of this thin film is more difficult than that of many dielectrics because the silicon-nitrogen ratio is usually not 3:4, and the refractive index generally needs to be measured simultaneously with the film thickness. What's more troublesome is that oxygen often seeps into the film, generating a certain amount of silicon nitride, which increases the difficulty of measurement. Fortunately, however, our system can measure the complete characteristics of silicon nitride films with just one click within a few seconds.
Measurement example
Silicon nitride thin films are widely used in the semiconductor industry as dielectrics, passivation layers, or mask materials. In this case, we successfully measured the thickness, refractive index and extinction coefficient of the silicon nitride film on the silicon substrate using F20-UVX. Interestingly, the optical properties of silicon nitride films are closely related to the molecular equivalent of the films. Using Filmetrics' proprietary silicon nitride diffusion model, the F20-UVX can easily measure the thickness and optical properties of silicon nitride films, regardless of whether they are silicon-rich, silicon-poor, or molecular equivalent.
Measurement Settings
