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Imaging Ellipsometer: Software
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The Imaging Ellipsometer uses a Pentium II computer under WindowsNT
for computing, visualising and managing the ellipsometry data. The image
data is transfered into the computer’s memory in real time through a
PCI bus framegrabber board. The computer’s processor is fast enough to
calculate the ellipsometry image without additional signal processing
hardware.
To minimise noise pickup, the analog-to-digital conversion of the image
data is done in the camera itself. This ensures that the full resolution of
12 bits per pixel is retained. The camera has a typical dynamic range of
over 70 dB.
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As in the Picometer Ellipsometer, the control software for the Imaging
Ellipsometer is implemented as an extension to the IgorPro data analysis
software by WaveMetrics. The extension adds a graphical user interface to
IgorPro. No knowledge of IgorPro is required to run the instrument.
However, IgorPro makes a wealth of image processing and data analysis
features available online, including all ellipsometric simulation software
included with the Picometer Ellipsometer and image processing functions
such as FFT, digital filters, particle counting and analysis, and 3-dimensional surface plots. Most of these
functions can be applied to 1- and 2-dimensional data likewise. A
time-resolved series of images can be treated as a single 3-dimensional
data set; IgorPro’s Graphical Slicer then allows the user to cut
arbitrary 2-dimensional slices through the data. Time-resolved data can
also be combined into a QuickTime movie. Images and graphs can be printed
in publication quality (Printer available as an option).
The Imaging Ellipsometer’s graphical user interface makes it easy for
the operator to access IgorPro’s analysis capabilities. IgorPro is
also fully programmable, which allows the user both to implement data
analysis routines, and to automate the operation of the instrument
itself.
Beaglehole Instruments supplies a range of IgorPro macros to simulate
ellipsometric data. These routines can be easily modified to suit any
non-standard experiment.
The software also enables the user to take full control over the setting of
the retarder and the polariser. In this mode, the instrument does not
measure ellipticity images, but acts as a Brewster-Angle microscope with
very fast response (over 100 frames/s).
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© beaglehole instruments 1998,1999 All material on this page is copyright. Last updated: Thursday, 18 January 2001 |