We show that light leakage that occurs in reflective polarizers at large angles of incidence can be suppressed by using anisotropic dielectric multilayers with larger reflective indices in thickness direction and that the interference-included 2×2 Jones matrix method is useful for the investigation of the optical propagation properties of the dielectric multilayers. The thickness of the reflective polarizer can also be reduced by optimizing the distribution of the multilayers in the stack, whilst considering the visual sensitivity. These results indicate that it is possible to realize a high-quality liquid crystal display with wide viewing angles and high light utilization efficiency.

This paper describes the evaluation of a fiber-optic reflective displacement sensor that is compensated for variations in light source intensity, pressure, temperature and opacity of ambient medium. Additionally, the distance information is averaged over several points on the target surface, which reduces signal fluctuations due to inhomogeneities. Furthermore, a practical optical fiber reflective sensor model of measuring oil film thickness for thrust bearing is set up in this paper. Actual measurements were made with HEC 3000 tons' thrust bearing and the results were in good agreement with theoretical calculations.

A novel technique has been developed for in situ sensing of thin film growth. In this method, a fiber optic probe is placed at an appropriate position in a deposition chamber, and the thin film builds up on the end of the fiber. This film is either the same as on the wafer where deposition occurs, or it bears a fixed relationship to the film on the wafer. By an analysis of the intensity of the light reflected from the film and guided by the fiber, information on the film may be obtained. With interference causing maxima, minima and a point of inflection as the film grows, it is possible to obtain near real time information on the following quantities: the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index of the film, a Gaussian parameter characterizing surface roughness, and the film thickness itself. To demonstrate this technique, we have studied the deposition of silicon nitride films in a CVD reactor and how reactor temperature and reactant flow rates influence film growth. This technique may be applied to measure in situ reflectivity of multi layer films, so that reflectance as a function of temperature and time may be obtained. Because the measurement is simple and direct and the information is optical, we believe that this technique has the potential to supplant quartz oscillators in the measurement of thin film growth.

On the surface of contacts which are exposed to the atmosphere, the reaction with gases in the atmosphere produces contaminant films including oxides. The contact reliability is degraded by the contaminant films. Humidity in the atmospheric environment also influences on the surface of contacts. However, influence of humidity on the surface has not been clarified. In the present paper, influence of humidity on the Cu surface and the oxides (CuO + Cu2O) on it were studied with respect to the thickness of the oxide film and contact resistance characteristics both for static and for sliding contacts. The thickness was measured by ellipsometric analysis. Topographic image affected by humidification was also observed by scanning tunneling microscope (STM). In the atmospheric environment, the clean surface of Cu was found to oxidize with fluctuations of the thickness for lapse of exposure time due to the fluctuations of the humidity. It was also found that the thickness of the oxide film decreases immediately after the humidification, and increases under dehumidification. Changes in contact resistance affected by humidity was corresponding to the change in the film thickness. Immediately after humidification contact resistance decreased, and increased with dehumidification both for static and for sliding contacts. For the mechanism of the influence of humidity on the oxide, chemical reduction of hydrogen generated by decomposition of the absorbed water molecule (H2O) was derived. The clean Cu surface was oxidized by oxygen due to absorbed water molecule and atmosphere.