kids encyclopedia robot

Ellipsometry facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Ellipsometry is a measurement method used by scientists who want to study solid materials or the surface of solids. It works by shining polarized light on a thin slice of a material and then looking to see how the nature of that light is changed when it is reflected by the sample.

Ellipsometry can be used to investigate different thin films of many different materials, of organic or inorganic origin. Inorganic subjects are things such as metals, semiconductors, insulators and also liquid crystals.

The frequency range used covers not just visible light but whole the spectrum from the microwave range, the terahertz range, infrared light, visible light up to the range of ultraviolet light.

Images for kids

  • Ellipsometer at LAAS

    An Ellipsometer at LAAS-CNRS in Toulouse, France.

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Ellipsometry Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.