Ellipsometry based on spin Hall effect of light (SHEL) using modified weak measurement for surface area measurement

The demand for sub-nanometer resolution of surface roughness measurement is highly increasing in many fields as this property has a significant impact for the characteristic of a material. Besides having sub-nanometer resolution, other preferable traits for the instruments are being non-contact and high-speed measurement. Ellipsometry is an instrument with high sensitivity to material’s characteristics through the measurement of polarization of light. In this paper, an ellipsometry based on the spin Hall effect of light is proposed for sub-nanometer surface area measurement. A modified weak measurement is incorporated in the measurement model to achieve better accuracy. Performance comparison of the modified weak measurement is carried through 2D surface measurement of an optical flat which shows how it improves the measurement result of the SHEL ellipsometry and demonstrates its potential for precision measurement.