In order to meet material demands of nanotechnology, new classes of material combinations need exploration. We have investigated the UV and VUV optical properties of various metal, oxide, nitride, silicide, and intermetallic thin films and multilayer film stacks for optical and barrier layer applications. Our current efforts remain directed toward finding materials or material combinations whose optical and mechanical properties accommodate nanotechnology and short wavelength nanolithography applications.
Thin films refractive index and extinction coefficient data were obtained by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry combined with spectrophotometry.
Unless noted, all films have been rf magnetron sputtered at thickness of 1000 A or less. Bulk materials appear in italics.