US Patent 7522272 Metrology system with spectroscopic ellipsometer and photoacoustic measurements

An optical system includes both a microspot broadband spectroscopic ellipsometer and a photoacoustic film thickness measurement system that are supplied laser light by the same laser light source. One of the systems makes a measurement, the result of which is used to adjust a parameter of the other system; e.g. the ellipsometer measures thickness and the photoacoustic system uses the thickness result to measure the speed of sound. In one version, the ellipsometer converts the laser beam to a broad-spectrum beam that provides higher intensity.