Characterization of thin film growth processes using linear and nonlinear optical spectroscopy

Abstract

  Two types of the linear optical spectroscopic methods, that is, surface differential reflectance spectroscopy (SDRS) and reflectance difference spectroscopy (RDS) are described. These methods can be used as a non-destructive optical probe of surfaces, and can be applied not only in vacuum condition but also in atmospheric and liquid conditions. We summarize our studies of the surface reaction, growth process of organic molecules, and interface structure on silicon surfaces using these methods. Second harmonic generation (SHG) is a powerful means to investigate nonlinear optical processes of nanoscale materials. We here introduce an example of the combinative use of both linear and nonlinear optical methods to investigate transition metal dichalcogenides.