Surface characterization and contamination analysis

The research activity for this first year has focussed on three distinct activities: (1) the use of an integrating sphere to improve upon the gathering of spectral data from a variety of surfaces; (2) the use of optical fiber spectrometry to determine levels of contamination from tape residues on critical bonding surfaces; and (3) an exploratory activity in the use of spectroscopic ellipsometry for the analysis of thin films of contaminants on critical surfaces has also begun.