The quality control of thin layers, especially during or shortly after production, is essential for many products. For this application the LLF develops imaging-ellipsometers for inline use.

For laboratory measurements a commercial imaging ellipsometer is available, too.  

Contact: Ferdinand Bammer, +43 1 58801 311616, ferdinand.bammer@tuwien.ac.at, TISS, opens an external URL in a new window

Measurement of layer thickness up to 500nm with VIS- or NIR-light

Based on a polarization camera the system is especially suited for cylindrical samples, like bottles, pipes, or foils on rolls in R2R-production. Due to the high sensitivity on polarization changes the measurement is successful also for small differences of the refractive indices of layer and substrate. With up to 24 fps fast applications in the laboratory as well as inline production lines are addressed.

In the following results on SiO2-coated bottles, PDMS-coated vials, and on PEDOT-coated foils are shown.  

Setup for 360 °-panoramic measurements on SiO2-coated PET-bottles.

© Ferdinand Bammer

Messaufbau

Setup for 360 °-panoramic measurements on SiO2-coated PET-bottles.

Thickness distribution of four PET-bottles, coated with SiO2 on the inner side. Blue areas in-between belong to uncoated bottles.

Thickness distribution of four PET-bottles, coated with SiO2 on the inner side. Blue areas in-between belong to uncoated bottles. (© TU Wien).

Thickness-distribution in a glass vial, coated with silicon oil on the inner side. Obviously a zone of missing layer is visible.

Thickness-distribution in a glass vial, coated with silicon oil on the inner side. Obviously a zone of missing layer is visible. (© TU Wien)

Inline 2D-thickness-measurement in a R2R-line

Inline 2D-thickness-measurement in a R2R-line (© TU Wien)

Inline-measurement of the thickness distribution of PEDOT on PET-foil

Inline-measurement of the thickness distribution of PEDOT on PET-foil (© TU Wien)

Measurement of layers with thickness up to 2500nm with infrared light

Based on an industrial IR-camera, the system is especially suited for the 2D-measurement of the thickness distribution of dielectric layers (oil, lubricants, laquers, undercoatings…) on metallic substrates (sheet metals or foils, e.g. steel or Al). A particularly important application is the control of precise oil layers in rolling- and deep-drawing-lines. With the long wave light a high robustness against varying roughness is achieved.      

Setup fot the 2D-thickness-measurment of dielectric layers on metalls with IR-light. Left: IR-radiator, middle: sheet metal with an oil pattern, right: optics&IR-camera.

© Ferdinand Bammer

Setup fot the 2D-thickness-measurment of dielectric layers on metalls with IR-light. Left: IR-radiator, middle: sheet metal with an oil pattern, right: optics&IR-camera. (© TU Wien)

Thickness-distribution of 9 squares with an oil layer (10x10mm, thickness 0.1-3µm) on sheet metal

© Ferdinand Bammer

Thickness-distribution of 9 squares with an oil layer (10x10mm, thickness 0.1-3µm) on sheet metal (© TU Wien)