Breakthrough instruments and products: Investigation of atomic layer deposited Al:ZnO layer by spectroscopic ellipsometry from the deep-UV to the mid-IR in one instrument

The Semilab SE-2000 spectroscopic ellipsometer is a versatile thin film characterization instrument capable of spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements covering a large spectral range from ultraviolet to near infrared within a few seconds and into the mid-infrared in a few minutes. It is suitable for characterizing thin films from monolayers to complex multi-layer laminates and bulk materials. This article demonstrates the unique capabilities of the SE-2000 system by the wide spectral range investigation of Al doped ZnO layers on different substrates and with different layer structures. Using data fits to the Drude dispersion law, the electrical properties of Al:ZnO were determined despite the presence of other conductive layers. The results were corroborated with four-point-probe measurements on a single Al:ZnO layer deposited on a glass substrate.