Driverless ellipsometer and ellipsometry

A polarization analysis device, comprising:

• a wavelength plate array having at least two or more stripe-like regions in which phase differences supplied to transmitted light are uniform and individual optical axis directions are different;
• and
• a polarizer array having at least two or more stripe-like regions in which the directions of transmitted polarized waves are different,
• wherein the wavelength plate array and the polarizer array are disposed so that the respective stripes of the wavelength plate array and of the polarizer array intersect one another, and a light-receiving element array is disposed so as to be capable of individually receiving light passed through the respective regions of intersection.

A polarization analysis device, comprising:

• a wavelength plate array having a plurality of regions in which optical axis directions are uniform and phase differences of transmitted light are different;
• and
• a polarizer array having a plurality of regions in which the directions of transmitted polarized waves are different,
• wherein the wavelength plate array and the polarizer array are disposed to overlap one another, and a light-receiving element array is disposed so as to be capable of individually receiving light passed through a specified region of the wavelength plate and a region of the polarizer that overlaps the specified region.

A polarization analysis device, comprising:

• a wavelength plate array having at least two or more stripe-like regions in which optical axis directions are uniform and phase differences of transmitted light are different;
• and
• a polarizer array having at least two or more stripe-like regions in which the directions of transmitted polarized waves are different,
• wherein the wavelength plate array and the polarizer array are disposed so that the respective stripes of the wavelength plate array and of the polarizer array intersect one another, and a light-receiving element array is disposed so as to be capable of individually receiving light passed through the respective regions of intersection.

A polarization analysis equipment, comprising:

• (a) a first polarization analysis device, including:
• a wavelength plate array having a plurality of regions in which phase differences supplied to transmitted light are uniform and optical axis directions are different;
• and
• a polarizer array having a plurality of regions in which the directions of transmitted polarized waves are different,
• wherein the wavelength plate array and the polarizer array are arranged to overlap one another, and a light-receiving element array is disposed so as to be capable of individually receiving light passed through a specified region of the wavelength plate and a region of the polarizer that overlaps the specified region;
• and
• (b) a second polarization analysis device, including:
• a wavelength plate array having a plurality of regions in which optical axis directions are uniform and phase differences of transmitted light are different;
• and
• a polarizer array having a plurality of regions in which the directions of transmitted polarized waves are different,
• wherein the wavelength plate array and the polarizer array are disposed to overlap one another, and a light-receiving element array is disposed so as to be capable of individually receiving light passed through a specified region of the wavelength plate and a region of the polarizer that overlaps the specified region;
• and
• further wherein the light beam to be measured enters each of the first and the second analysis devices.

A polarization analysis method, wherein the polarization state of incident light is obtained by combining the methods of:

• (a) a first polarization analysis method, wherein, in a polarization analysis device in which a wavelength plate array having a plurality of regions in which the phase differences are fixed and the optical axis directions are different and a polarizer array having a plurality of regions in which the directions of transmitted polarized waves are different are arranged to overlap one another so that the wavelength plate array is at the front and the polarizer array is at the rear and a light-receiving element array is disposed in two dimensions so as to be capable of individually receiving light passed through a certain region of the wavelength plate and a region of the polarizer that overlaps the certain region of the wavelength plate, the polarization state of incident light is obtained by using the characteristics that a two-dimensional intensity distribution pattern observed by means of the light-receiving element array is exhibited by only a DC component and at most three frequency components, wherein, by fitting or inserting sample values in use of the characteristics of a pattern shape in the neighborhood of a maximum point or a minimum point of an intensity distribution pattern observed by the light-receiving element array, the directions of the wavelength plate and polarizer that supply the ellipsometry quenching point or the flow amount minimum are calculated and the polarization state of incident light is obtained;
• and
• (b) a second polarization analysis method, wherein, in a polarization analysis device in which a wavelength plate array having a plurality of regions in which the phase differences are fixed and the optical axis directions are different and a polarizer array having a plurality of regions in which the directions of transmitted polarized waves are different are arranged to overlap one another so that the wavelength plate array is at the front and the polarizer array is at the rear and a light-receiving element array is disposed in two dimensions so as to be capable of individually receiving light passed through a certain region of the wavelength plate and a region of the polarizer that overlaps the certain region of the wavelength plate, the polarization state of incident light is obtained by using the characteristics that a two-dimensional intensity distribution pattern observed by means of the light-receiving element array is exhibited by only a DC component and at most three frequency components, wherein the polarization state of incident light is obtained by performing a Fourier transform.