Accounting for the Complex Surface Structure in Ellipsometric Studies of the Effects of Magnetron Sputtering Modes on the Growth and Optical Properties of In2O3 Films

The efficiency of invoking additional information on optical transmission in solving the inverse problem of ellipsometry by a minimization method is demonstrated in practice for In 2 O 3 fi doped and nondoped with Sn on Al 2 O 3 (012) substrates. This approach allows the thickness and refractive index of thin films with rough surfaces to be uniquely determined. Solutions of the inverse problem in the framework of one-, two-, and multilayer models are compared. The last provides the best description of the experimental data and the correct parameters of the samples. The dependences of the investigated properties of films produced with different magnetron sputtering modes are found using the above methods and models and do not contradict general concepts about the film formation by this material.