There are many biological, medical and engineering applications that may be characterised by spectroscopic ellipsometry such as:

• Monitor interface thickness in real-time: film growth, film adsorption
• Monitor real-time changes at interfaces
• Contamination, impurities detection
• Surface functionalisation: self-assembled monolayers
• Organic films, biofilms
• Liquids

 Spectroscopic Ellipsometers are mainly used to investigate changes that occur at solid/ liquid, liquid/liquid and liquid/air interfaces.

The precision of the technique allows the accurate measurement of bio or organic film thickness with sub-angstrom resolution.

The major advantages of spectroscopic ellipsometry for this application are:

• Non destructive technique

• Measurement of ultra-thin film thickness

• Versatility as the investigation can be made in different ambient air, liquid or vacuum environments

• Kinetic measurements