This course is intended for people with a basic background in thin films who need to understand the broad range of techniques available to characterize films. The course is appropriate for technicians, engineers, and managers who perform or specify characterization work as well as students seeking a broad understanding of the field.

This tutorial examines the broad range of techniques available to characterize thin film materials. We examine the range of properties of interest and how thin film properties may differ from bulk properties. Generic differences between counting and spectroscopic techniques are presented. Available “probes” are identified.

The main emphasis of the tutorial is an overview of a wide range of characteriza¬tion techniques. We examine imaging techniques such as Optical microscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Scanning probe microscopies (STM, AFM …). We also explore techniques, which provide information about structural properties including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Stylus profilometry, Quartz crystal monitors (QCM) and density measure¬ments.

The tutorial examines techniques, which explore chemical properties such as Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-rays (EDAX), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS, ESCA), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrom¬etry (SIMS), and Rutherford Backscattering (RBS). AES is used as a prototype to examine quantitative analysis of spectroscopic data. Characterization techniques for optical properties such as ellipsometry and optical scattering are also consid¬ered. Many of these chemical and optical techniques can also provide informa¬tion about structural properties.

Techniques for determining electrical and magnetic properties are also dis¬cussed. These include resistance / four-point probe, Hall effect, magneto-optical Kerr effect and ferromagnetic resonance. The emphasis here is on materials characterization as opposed to device characterization. The tutorial concludes with an examination of techniques used to explore mechanical properties such as stress-curvature measurements, friction testing, micro/nano indentation and adhesion tests.