Interference-aided spectrum-fitting method for accurate film thickness determination

A new approach is proposed to accurately determine the thickness of films, especially for ultra-thin films, through spectrum-fitting with the assistance of an interference layer. The determination limit can reach even less than 1 nm. Its accuracy is far better than that of the traditional methods. This determination method is verified by experiments, and the determination limit is at least 3.5 nm compared with the results of atomic force microscope (AFM). Furthermore, a double interference-aided spectra fitting method is proposed to reduce the requirements of the determination instruments, which thus allows one to determine the film's thickness with a low-precision common spectrometer and to greatly lower the cost. It is a very high-precision determination method for on-site and in-situ applications, especially for ultra-thin films.