Utilization of frequency information in a linear wavenumber-scanning interferometer for profile measurement of a thin film.

The positions of the front and rear surfaces of a silicon dioxide film with 4 µm thickness is measured with a novel and simple method in which both amplitude and phase of a sinusoidal wave signal corresponding to one optical path difference of a reflecting surface is utilized in a linear wavenumber-scanning interferometer. For this utilization, the scanning width and the position of the reference mirror are adjusted exactly to distinguish the two sinusoidal waves corresponding to the two surfaces of the film. The scanning width of the wavenumber and wavelength of the light source are 0.326×10(-3) nm(-1) and 140 nm, respectively.