Polarized Light-Scattering Measurements of Dielectric Spheres Upon a Silicon Surface.
Polarized Light-Scattering Measurements of Dielectric
Spheres Upon a Silicon Surface.
(388 K)
Sung, L. P.; Mulholland, G. W.; Germer, T. A.
Optics Letters, Vol. 24, No. 13, 866-868, July 1, 1999.
Sponsor:
Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute,
Arlington, VA
Keywords:
silicon; light scattering; latex
Abstract:
The polarization of light scattered into directions out
of the plane of incidence by polystyrene latex spheres
upon a silicon substrate was measured for p-polarized
incident light. The experimental data show good
agreement with theoretical predictions for three sizes
of spheres. These results demonstrate that the
polarization of light scattered by particles can be used
to determine the size of particulate contaminants on
silicon wafers. Theoretical models, based on successive
degrees of approximation, indicate that the mean
distance of a particle from the surface is the primary
determinant of the scattered light polarization for
small out-of-plane scattering angles.
