skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Microscopic image processing systems for measuring nonuniform film thickness profiles

Conference ·
OSTI ID:10115568

In very thin liquid films. transport processes are controlled by the temperature and the interfacial intermolecular force field which is a function of the film thickness profile and interfacial properties. The film thickness profile and interfacial properties can be measured most efficiently using a microscopic image processing system. IPS, to record the intensity pattern of the reflected light from the film. There are two types of IPS: an image analyzing interferometer (IAI) and/or an image scanning ellipsometer (ISE). The ISE is a novel technique to measure the two dimensional thickness profile of a nonuniform, thin film, from 1 nm up to several {mu}m, in a steady state as well as in a transient state. It is a full field imaging technique which can study every point on the surface simultaneously with high spatial resolution and thickness sensitivity, i.e., it can measure and map the 2-D film thickness profile. Using the ISE, the transient thickness profile of a draining thin liquid film was measured and modeled. The interfacial conditions were determined in situ by measuring the Hamaker constant. The ISE and IAI systems are compared.

Research Organization:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
FG02-89ER14045
OSTI ID:
10115568
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/14045-8; CONF-940809-4; ON: DE94005336; BR: KC0401010
Resource Relation:
Conference: 10. international heat transfer conference,Brighton (United Kingdom),14-18 Aug 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1994]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English