Spectroscopic ellipsometer and polarimeter systems

A method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a spectroscopic rotating compensator material system investigation system comprising a source of a polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation, a polarizer, a stage for supporting a material system, an analyzer, a dispersive optics and at least one detector system which contains a multiplicity of detector elements, said spectroscopic rotating compensator material system investigation system further comprising at least one compensator positioned at a location selected from the group consisting of:
• before said stage for supporting a material system;
• after said stage for supporting a material system;
• and
• both before and after said stage for supporting a material system;
• such that when said spectroscopic rotating compensator material system investigation system is used to investigate a material system present on said stage for supporting a material system, said analyzer and polarizer are maintained essentially fixed in position and at least one of said at least one compensator(s) is caused to continuously rotate while a polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation produced by said source of a polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation is caused to pass through said polarizer and said compensator(s), said polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation being also caused to interact with said material system, pass through said analyzer and interact with said dispersive optics such that a multiplicity of essentially single wavelengths are caused to simultaneously enter a corresponding multiplicity of detector elements in said at least one detector system;
• said spectroscopic rotating compensator material system investigation system further comprising an environmental control chamber in which said spectroscopic rotating compensator material system investigation system is functionally contained, said environmental control chamber being characterized by a selection from the group consisting of:
• it comprises at least one chamber region in which is present polarization state generator (PSG) comprising component(s) prior to said material system and polarization state detector (PSD) comprising component(s) after said material system, and optionally also contains said material system (MS);
• it comprises three chamber regions, in one of which is present polarization state generator comprising component(s) prior to said material system, in the second of which is present the material system and in the third of which is present polarization state detector comprising component(s) after said material system;
• it comprises at least two chamber regions, in one of which is present polarization state generator comprising component(s) prior to said material system and in addition to said material system, and in the second of which is present polarization state detector comprising component(s) present after said material system;
• it comprises at least two chamber regions, in one of which is present polarization state generator comprising component(s) prior to said material system, and in the second of which is present polarization state detector comprising component(s) after said material system in addition to said material system;
• b) placing a material system on said stage for supporting a material system and at least partially purging or evacuating said environmental control chamber;
• c) causing said source of polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation to provide a polychromatic beam of electromagnetic radiation and causing said beam to interact with said material system on said stage for supporting a material system, and interact with said dispersive optics such that a multiplicity of essentially single wavelengths are caused to simultaneously enter a corresponding multiplicity of detector elements in said at least one detector system;
• and
• d) providing a concrete and tangible effect by applying at least one signal developed by at least one of said detector elements, by practicing at least one selection from the group consisting of:
• storing at least some data provided by said data detector in machine readable media;
• analyzing at least some of the data provided by said data detector and storing at least some of the results of said analysis in machine readable media;
• displaying at least some data provided by said data detector by electronic and/or non-electronic means;
• analyzing at least some of the data provided by said data detector and displaying at least some of the results of said analysis by electronic and/or non-electronic means;
• causing at least some data provided by said data detector to produce a signal which is applied to provide a concrete and tangible result;
• analyzing at least some of the data provided by said data detector and causing at least some thereof to produce a signal which is applied to provide a concrete and tangible result.