Determination of spatial distributions of thickness and optical constants of thin films by a new optical technique

A new optical technique for the determination of spatial distributions of the thickness and the optical constants of thin films is proposed. This technique is simple and nondestructive involving mainly an ellipsometer and a coherent light source, and no contact to the thin-film samples is required. A theoretical estimation indicates that this technique may provide a spatial resolution close to the diffraction-limited resolution under certain conditions. Possible applications of this technique are also discussed.