Spectroellipsometric investigation of optical properties of SiO2 grown by wet thermal oxidation

Spectroellipsometry represents a powerful technique in non-destructive and contactless material characterization. In this paper, using the above mentioned spectroellipsometric technique, we measure the refractive index profile of wet thermal SiO2 films on single-crystal silicon substrate under various thermal oxidation conditions. The optimum conditions for an accurate evaluation of the thin films parameters – refractive index and thickness – are determined. The effect of different oxidation conditions upon these parameters are further investigated.