Spectroscopic transmission ellipsometry studies of semiconductor heterostructures

Ellipsometry is conventionally used in a reflection configuration, which however is not suitable for the case of p-polarization sensitive modes in high-index samples. In this paper we demonstrate that transmission ellipsometry at the Brewster angle of incidence can be a powerful tool for investigating heterostructures and superlattices, provided s-polarized absorption is negligible. Such a geometry combines the possibility of achieving a greater p-polarized component in the sample, the convinience of measuring at higher signal levels and easier treatment of experimental data.