SCOUT training© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

SCOUT training
First steps to successful spectrum simulation solutions
by Wolfgang Theiss

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publisher and the author be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial
damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by thisdocument.
Printed: April 2004 in Aachen

Contents

I

Table of Contents
Foreword

0Part I Introduction

4

1 Overview................................................................................................................................... 4

2 Sources of help................................................................................................................................... 4

Part II Getting started

7

1 What SCOUT ...................................................................................................................................
version do I have?
7
2 Update to the ...................................................................................................................................
latest version
7

Part III Optical constants

9

1 Exercise 1: Defining...................................................................................................................................
a constant refractive index
92 Exercise 2: Retrieving...................................................................................................................................
materials from the database
12Part IV Layer stacks

15

1 Exercise 1: Simple...................................................................................................................................
layer stacks
15
2 Exercise 2: Defining...................................................................................................................................
several layer stacks
16

19

Part V Spectra

1 Exercise 1: Infrared...................................................................................................................................
spectrum of silicon
19
2 Exercise 2: Simultaneous...................................................................................................................................
computation of R and T
21

Part VI Parameter fits

24

1 Exercise 1: Refractive...................................................................................................................................
index of Si in the infrared24
2 Exercise 2: Improving...................................................................................................................................
the optical constant model for Si
28
3 Exercise 3: Finishing...................................................................................................................................
the optical constant model for Si
32

Part VII Defining views

34

1 Exercise 1: Display...................................................................................................................................
optical constants
34
2 Exercise 2: Display...................................................................................................................................
a layer stack in a view36
3 Exercise 3: Computed...................................................................................................................................
spectra in views
39
4 Exercise 4: Modifying...................................................................................................................................
the model using sliders
39

Part VIII Using SCOUT tools

44

1 Exercise 1: DirectDF................................................................................................................................... 44

Part IX Solutions

46

1 Optical constants................................................................................................................................... 46
Exercise 1.......................................................................................................................................................... 46

Exercise 2.......................................................................................................................................................... 47© 2004 Wolfgang TheissIII

SCOUT training
2 Layer stacks................................................................................................................................... 47
Exercise 1.......................................................................................................................................................... 47

Exercise 2.......................................................................................................................................................... 47

3 Spectra................................................................................................................................... 48

Exercise 1.......................................................................................................................................................... 48

Exercise 2.......................................................................................................................................................... 49

4 Parameter fits................................................................................................................................... 51
Exercise 1.......................................................................................................................................................... 51

Exercise 2.......................................................................................................................................................... 52

Exercise 3.......................................................................................................................................................... 53

5 Defining views................................................................................................................................... 54
Exercise 1.......................................................................................................................................................... 54

Exercise 2.......................................................................................................................................................... 55

Exercise 3.......................................................................................................................................................... 56

Exercise 4.......................................................................................................................................................... 57

6 Using SCOUT...................................................................................................................................
tools
57
Exercise 1

Index.......................................................................................................................................................... 5759© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Part

I

4

SCOUT training

1

Introduction

1.1

Overview
This training gives a careful introduction to spectrum simulation with the SCOUT software. It uses
some program features introduced in version 2.27 which should be available for your work. See thesection on program updates 7 for a description of program upgrades.
Training schedule
You should follow this sequence of exercises (if you like, you can print this section and enter the dates
when you did the exercises in the right column):· Check your SCOUT version 7· Upgrade to the latest version from www.mtheiss.com

7· Optical constants: Exercise 1 9· Optical constants: Exercise 2 12
· Defining views: Exercise 1 34
· Layer stacks: Exercise 1 15
· Layer stacks: Exercise 2 16
· Defining views: Exercise 2 36
· Spectra: Exercise 1 19
· Spectra: Exercise 2 21
· Defining views: Exercise 3 39
· Defining views: Exercise 4 39
· Parameter fits: Exercise 1 24
· Parameter fits: Exercise 2 28
· Using SCOUT tools: Exercise 1 44

1.2

Sources of help
In case you need help you can directly contact Wolfgang Theiss, the author of the SCOUT software.
Send an e-mail to theiss@mtheiss.com and describe what you want to know.

SCOUT tutorial 1 gives an introduction into the basic handling of SCOUT. Developing a simple opticalmodel and a first parameter fit, you are guided around and learn what to find where in the program.
The manipulation of SCOUT graphics including mouse actions and keyboard commands is explainedin the 'Graphics course'.
SCOUT is an object oriented program. There are many lists managing various types of objects.
General features of the implemented objects and lists are discussed in the technical manual (the main
help file of SCOUT) in the section 'Technical notes'.
Details of the objects are given in the technical manual.

© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Introduction

5

You may also visit our homepage www.mtheiss.com and look around. Especially the section'Applications' might be of interest. In 'Support|Download' there is a section called 'Things to read' which
could also give valuable hints.

© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Part

II

Getting started

2

Getting started

2.1

What SCOUT version do I have?

7

In some cases you need to know the version of your SCOUT program. Here is how you can find theversion number of your SCOUT: Start the program and select the menu command ?|About SCOUT.
You will see a small window like this:The first line contains the major progam version.
In most cases the object generation given in the second line is important: When you try to load a
SCOUT configuration, SCOUT checks if the file was created by a younger object generation (i.e. with ahigher version number). If so, the configuration is not loaded. Please update to a more recent version
in this case.

2.2

Update to the latest version
You can download the latest versions of our SCOUT and CODE software from our homepage
www.mtheiss.com . Go to the 'Support' section and from there to 'Download'. Each program has its own
section with a short description of the items you can download.
You will be asked for a username and a password. If you don't have any yet, please ask us for adownload account (e-mail to theiss@mtheiss.com).

There are two types of program downloads:
1. The full setup comes in a large zip-file. It contains a setup routine that will install the current versionof the software like it is distributed on our setup CDs. You will have to de-install any previous version
before you execute the new setup. The full setup is not updated as frequently as the small download
file described below.
2. The small download file is a zip-file as well. It contains the latest program executable and sometimes
a few additional files which belong to the latest version of the software. No de-installation is necessary
for this download version: Just copy the files to the right destination folders, overwriting existing files ofthe same name.

© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Part

III

Optical constants

3

Optical constants

3.1

Exercise 1: Defining a constant refractive index

9This is a simple exercise to train basic actions for the definition of optical constant models. You willdefine a new material with a constant refractive index and save it to the database.
Please follow these instructions:· Start SCOUT.
· Execute the menu command File|New to start with an empty configuration.
· Open the list of materials with the menu command 'Objects|Materials '.
· Press in this list the '+' button which will create an object of type 'Dielectric function model'. The
name of the object is 'Dummy name'.
· Click on the name 'Dummy name' and type in the new name 'My silicon'. Press the Return key tomake the new name permanent.
· Double click the name which opens a color dialog. Select yellow and leave the dialog. The material'My silicon' is now shown in the list with a yellow background.
· Use the Edit menu command to open the window that shows the optical constant data of 'My silicon'
graphically:·· 8.
In this window, use the Range command to set a spectral range from 400 to 4000 1/cm with
200 points:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

10

SCOUT training· Use the menu command Susceptibilities to open a list with contributions to the optical constantmodel of 'My silicon':· Select in the dropdown box between the '+' and the '-' buttons the object type 'Constant refractive
index' and press the '+' button to create such an object. The list should look like this now:

· Click on 'Noname' and overwrite the name by 'n'.
· Move the cursor to '1.0000' and overwrite it by '3.4'.
· Close the susceptibilities dialog and return to the window with the graphical representation of the
optical constants of 'My silicon'.
· Press Recalc and use the menu command Property|Refractive index to show the refractive index
of 'My silicon'.
· Click on the text 'Refractive index' inside the window. This opens the dialog to set the parameters forthe graphical appearance. For the y-axis, set a minimum of 0.0, a maximum of 4.0, a tick spacing of
0.5 and the number of decimals to 1. Then leave the dialog.
© 2004 Wolfgang TheissOptical constants· You should now have this:· Close this window and return to the list of materials. You will now store the new material to the
database. Use the Database command to open the database of materials:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

11

12

SCOUT training· Select 'My silicon' in the list of materials and drag it to the database window. Drop it to the list of
materials. You will be asked for your name and a description of the material. The description will beshown later when you scroll through the database.
· Scroll down the database list and verify that the new material is entered properly.
Exercise 1
Define a material named 'My glass' with a constant refractive index of 1.5 in the visible spectral range(400 ... 700 nm). Make it appear light green in the list of materials and store it to the database.
Check your solution reading the section Solutions/Optical constants/Exercise 1

3.2

46

Exercise 2: Retrieving materials from the database
Compared to exercise 1, this will be simple. You will learn how to import optical constant data from thedatabase into the list of materials.
· Start SCOUT and switch to an empty configuration using the File|New command.
· Open the list of materials with Objects|Materials .
· Use the Database command in this list to open the database window.
· In the database window, scroll to the item 'My glass' and drag it to the list of materials.
· Drop it there and verify that it is entered in addition to the 'Vacuum' object.
Exercise 2
Load the material 'My silicon' from the database into the list of materials.
© 2004 Wolfgang TheissOptical constants

Check your solution reading the section Solutions/Optical constants/Exercise 2© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

47

13

Part

IV

Layer stacks

4

Layer stacks

4.1

Exercise 1: Simple layer stacks

15

Here is the first example of building a (very simple) layer stack.
Instructions to follow:· Start SCOUT and use the File|New command to start with an empty configuration.
· Go to the list of materials and open the database window (see Optical constants/Exercise 2 12 ).
Keep the list of materials open and visible on your screen.
· In the main window of SCOUT, apply the Objects|Layer stacks menu command to open the list oflayer stacks (In SCOUT you can use more than one layer stack, and the list of layer stacks is used to
manage the stacks).
· Even an empty SCOUT configuration has already a default layer stack which is called 'Standard'.
Select it and open it with Edit. It should look like this:· Select line 2 in the list, i.e. the bottom halfspace (filled with 'Vacuum').
· Between the '+' and the '-' button there is a dropdown box (labeled 'Thin film' at present). Select the
new object type 'Thick layer' in the dropdown box and press the '+' button. A new layer of type 'Thicklayer' is created (above the layer which is selected at present). Use this layer type for thicksubstrates such as glass plates or silicon wafers.
· Now we have to fill in a material. You can do that by a drag&drop action from the database. Arrange
the layer stack window and the database window on your screen in a way that you have mouseaccess to both of them. Then drag the material 'My glass' from the database window to the thicklayer that you just created and drop it there:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

16

SCOUT training· Note that the material 'My glass' has been entered into SCOUT's list of materials. SCOUT does notwork with database items directly but copies objects at request. This way, if you save a SCOUT
configuration, it is complete and independent of the database.
· Manual thickness change: Place the cursor to the cell which displays the thickness of the layer. Typein '4' and press Return. This changes the thickness of the layer.
· Change of material assignment: There are several ways to change the material assignment of alayer. You can drag another material from the database to the layer, as we just did. Try that for 'My
silicon'. Alternatively, you can drag a material from the list of materials to the layer. Try that for 'My
glass'.
· The fastest way to change the material assignment is this: In the layer stack window, place thecursor in cell that displays the assigned material of the layer (it should be 'My glass' at present). Now
press the F4 key several times and watch the changes of the assignment. Pressing the F4 key you
cycle through the list of materials in the forward direction, and you can stop at the material of yourchoice. Using the F5 key cycles through the list in the backward direction. Try both directions andstop at 'My glass'.
· In the main window of SCOUT, use the command File|SaveAs and save the present configuration
using the name 'Layer_stack_exercise_0'. The extension *.sc2 will be added automatically to thefilename. If you are asked if you want to save the content of the workbook and the batch control
window, answer with 'Yes'.
Exercise 1
Start with an empty SCOUT configuration and create a layer stack of the following structure: A thicklayer of silicon (thickness 0.3 mm) is surrounded by two glass layers (use the layer type "Thin film') of 4
nm thickness each. This 3-layer stack is placed in between the two vacuum halfspaces.
If necessary, use the red arrows in the toolbar of the layer stack definition window to move the selected
layer up or down in the list.
Save the SCOUT configuration using the name 'Layer_stack_exercise_1'.
Check your solution reading the section Solutions/Layer stacks/Exercise 1

4.2

47

Exercise 2: Defining several layer stacks
Exercise 2
Start with an empty SCOUT configuration and create two layer stacks.
The first one should be a 10 nm silver layer (object type: Thin film, optical constants: Take the object© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Layer stacks

17'Ag model' from the database) on a 1 mm thick layer of 'My glass'.
The second one should be a 15 nm silver layer on a 0.5 mm thick layer of 'My silicon' .
In the layer stack list, call the first layer stack 'Ag on glass' and the second one 'Ag on Si wafer'. Assign
different colors to the two layer stacks.
In the material list, assign a color of light blue to silver.
Save the configuration using the name 'Layer_stack_exercise_2.sc2' .
Check your solution reading the section Solutions/Layer stacks/Exercise 2© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

47

Part

V

Spectra5

Spectra5.1

Exercise 1: Infrared spectrum of silicon

19

Having defined optical constants and layer stacks, we are now in the position to compute our first
spectrum. The instructions below show you how to compute the reflectance of silicon (a simplified
version of silicon for the moment) in the infrared.
Instructions:· Start SCOUT and use the File|New command to start with an empty configuration.
· Create a simple layer stack with a thick layer of 'My silicon' in between two vacuum halfspaces. The
silicon layer should have a thickness of 0.5 mm. See the section'Layer stacks|Exercise1: Simple layer stacks 15 ' for help if necessary. Call the layer stack 'Si wafer'.
· In the main window of SCOUT, use the command Objects|Spectra to open the list of spectra. Evenin a new configuration, there is a spectrum called 'Spectrum simulation' already in the list.
· Select the spectrum and change its name to 'Reflectance'.
· Use the Edit command to open the window of the spectrum:· Apply the Range command and set a spectral range of 2000 ... 4000 1/cm with 201 data points (thisleads to steps of 10 1/cm between the points) in the following dialog:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

20

SCOUT training· You should now see the computed reflectance spectrum in the specified range as the blue curve in
the graph below:· Click on the red arrows to the right of the label Angle. This way you can change the angle ofincidence in steps of 5 degrees. Alternatively, you can type in a value for the angle of incidence inthe edit box directly below the Angle label. Having entered a new value, you have to use the Recalc
command to compute the new spectrum.
· Use the dropdown box below the label Polarization to change from s-polarization (s-pol) to ppolarization (p-pol). Ignore the possible 'Mixed' polarization for the moment. Use the Recalc
command to compute the new spectrum after polarization changes.
Exercise 1
Save the configuration we developed up to now using the name 'Spectra_silicon_infrared.sc2'.
© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Spectra21

Compute the reflectance of silicon in the infrared for
45 degrees angle of incidence and s-polarization
45 degrees angle of incidence and p-polarization
10 degrees angle of incidence and s-polarization
10 degrees angle of incidence and p-polarization
75 degrees angle of incidence and s-polarization
75 degrees angle of incidence and p-polarization
63.23 degrees angle of incidence and s-polarization
32.12 degrees angle of incidence and p-polarization
and write down the approximate values in a table. Rough values taken from the graph are sufficient at
the moment.
Check your solution reading the section Solutions/Spectra/Exercise 1 48

5.2

Exercise 2: Simultaneous computation of R and T
We will now compute two spectra at the same time. For the simple silicon example, the reflectanceand the transmittance in the infrared will be calculated.
Instructions:· Open the configuration 'Spectra_silicon_infrared.sc2' that you saved in exercise 1 using thecommand File|Open.
· Go to the list of spectra.
· Pressing the '+' button, create a new object of type 'R, T, ATR' and name it 'Transmittance'.
· Open the new object's window and set its Range to 2000 ... 4000 1/cm (201 points).
· Select the type 'Transmittance' in the dropdown box under the label 'Spectrum type' and use the
Recalc command to compute the spectrum:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

22

SCOUT training· Save this configuration using the name 'Spectra_silicon_infrared_rt.sc2'.
Exercise 2
Start with an empty configuration.
Load the optical constants of 'My glass' from the database.
Define a layer stack with a thick layer (1 mm) of 'My glass' between vacuum halfspaces.
a) Compute a reflectance and a transmittance spectrum in the visible (400 ... 700 nm, 1 nm
wavelength steps) for 10 degrees angle of incidence and p-polarized light. Read the Graphics course(helpfile delivered with SCOUT) and try to set reasonable graphics parameters for the spectra.
b) Change the angle of incidence to 60 degree and compute the spectra again.
Set the angles of incidence to 0 degree and save the configuration using the name'Spectra_glass_visible_rt.sc2'.
Check your solutions reading the section Solutions/Spectra/Exercise 2 49

© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Part

VI

24

SCOUT training

6

Parameter fits

6.1

Exercise 1: Refractive index of Si in the infrared
In this section you are going to determine the refractive index of silicon in the infrared, analyzing ameasured reflectance spectrum.
Instructions:· Open the configuration 'Spectra_silicon_infrared.sc2' that you saved in 'Spectra | Exercise 1' using
the command File|Open.
· Generate a view with the following items: The reflectance spectrum, the optical constants of 'My
silicon', the layer stack and a horizontal slider varying the refractive index of 'My silicon' in the range
1 ... 5. It should look like this:· Press the Ctrl-key and click with the left mouse button on the reflectance spectrum. The following
window pops up:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Parameter fits

· Set the Angle of incidence to 40 (degrees).
· Use the Import command which opens the following dialog:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

25

26

SCOUT training· Select the file type 'SpectraCalc format' and search for the file 'si_wafer_40_spol.spc' in the Data
subfolder of the training folder. In the next dialog, select the spectral unit '1/cm':· Close the spectrum window and observe the measured spectrum (drawn red) in the main window:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Parameter fits

27

· Using the slider, set the refractive index to a value of 2.0 (which is certainly wrong).
· In the main window, use the Range command and select the spectral range 2000 ... 2500 1/cm with
20 points.
· Open the list of fit parameters (command: Objects|Fit parameters ) and use the '+' button. This
opens a list of all possible fit parameters of the current model. Select the 'refractive index parameter'of the material 'My silicon' (like indicated in the following picture). Then press OK:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

28

SCOUT training· The configuration is now ready for your first automatic parameter fit. Save the configuration using thename 'Si_wafer_fit1.sc2'.
Exercise 1
Press the Start button in the main window. A short sequence of graphics updates indicates SCOUT's
fit activity.
Compare the result of the fit with Solutions/Parameter fits/Exercise 1

6.2

51

Exercise 2: Improving the optical constant model for Si
In this section the simple model for the optical constants of Si will be refined. Additional oscillators
representing impurities and multiphonon absorption will be added.
Instructions:· Load the configuration 'Si_wafer_fit1.sc2' from the last section.
· In the main window, use the Range command to extend the spectral range to 500 ... 2500 1/cm (500points).
· Press the Start button and watch the fit activity.
· Select the reflectance spectrum by a mouse click, and then click on the 'E' button in the lower rightcorner. Set the graphics parameters to the values shown below:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Parameter fits

29

· Similarly, select the refractive index graph by a mouse click and press the 'E' button to modifiy thegraphics parameters appropriately:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

30

SCOUT training· Press the Ctrl-key and click on the optical constant object. The corresponding window opens andyou can open the list of susceptibilies with the Susceptibilities command. In this list, select the new
type 'Kim oscillator' and create a new item of this type. Call it 'Oxygen' like in the following example:· Select the new item and use the Edit command to open the object's dialog. Set the following
parameter values and leave the dialog. Then Update the main window. The new oscillator leads toabsorption of infrared radiation around 1100 1/cm.

© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Parameter fits

31

· Now we have to add the additional parameters to the list of fit parameters in order to adjust them
automatically. Open the list of fit parameters and use the '+' button to open the selection list of all
possible fit parameters. Keeping the Ctrl-key pressed down, you can select and de-select several
items in the list. Like in the following example, select all 4 parameters of the 'Carbon' oscillator:· Now press Start again in the main window. When the fit has finished the new oscillator parameters
are adjusted:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

32

SCOUT training

Exercise 2
Similar to the 'Oxygen' oscillator, add a new Kim oscillator to the model for the optical constants of Si.
Call it 'Carbon'. Use the starting values 610, 10, 10 and 1 for the 4 parameters and select them as new
fit parameters (in addition to the old ones).
Important: In the list of fit parameters, set a high limit of 50 for the damping constant of the 'Carbon'
oscillator. Then press the Start button for a new parameter fit.
Save the new configuration using the name 'Si_wafer_fit2.sc2'.
Compare the result of the fit with Solutions/Parameter fits/Exercise 2

6.3

52

Exercise 3: Finishing the optical constant model for Si
Exercise 3 (advanced level!)
Following the instructions given in the previous section 28 , add more oscillators to the optical constantmodel of Si. Make use of low and high limits in the list of fit parameters to avoid values 'floating away'.
Decide yourself when the fit is good enough. For a 'high quality fit' you may have to add many
oscillators. In the end it is useful to display the absorption coefficient of the 'My silicon' material.
Compare your result with the suggestion given in Solutions/Parameter fits/Exercise 3

53.

© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Part

VII

34

SCOUT training

7

Defining views

7.1

Exercise 1: Display optical constants
This first exercise will show you how you can graphically display optical constants in views. You willlearn how to move and re-size the graph, and how to delete it from the view.
· Start SCOUT.
· Execute the menu command File|New to start with an empty configuration.
Adding an optical constant graph to a view
· Load the material 'My glass' into the list of materials.
· Drag the material 'My glass' from the list of materials to the center of the main window of SCOUT
and drop it there. Verify that you get the following picture:

Moving a graph within a view
· Press the Shift button on your keyboard and keep it down.
· Place the mouse cursor in the middle of the optical constant graph, press the left mouse button
down and move it around while you still keep the Shift key down. This moves the whole graph in theview. Try to move the graph to the upper left quarter of the main window. All view items can be
moved this way.
Re-sizing a graph in a view with the mouse· Place the mouse cursor in the middle of the optical constant graph, press the right mouse button
down and move it slowly towards the lower right corner of the graph. This increases the size of thegraph in the view.
· Moving the mouse cursor towards the upper left corner of an object (with the right mouse button
down) decreases its size.
© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Defining views

35· Try to set the size of the graph in such a way that it fills the entire main window of SCOUT.
Well-defined object position and size by typing in coordinates· Open the list of views with the menu command Objects|Views . There is only one view in the list ofviews.
· Change the name of the view to 'Optical constant view'.
· Open the view object with the 'Edit' command. It should look like this:· The numbers called Left, Top, Width and Height specify the position (Left and Top) of the graphand its size (Width, Height). All values are percentages with respect to the full width or height of themain windows drawing area. The upper left corner of the view has the coordinates (0.0,0.0), thelower right corner is given by (100.0,100.0).
· Set values of 0.0, 0.0, 100.0 and 100.0 for the parameters Left, Top, Width and Height. Press
Update in the main window and it should look like this now:

Deletion of view objects from a view
To delete objects from a view you have to go to the list of view objects and delete the corresponding© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

36

SCOUT training

item there.
· Open the list of views with the menu command Objects|Views . In the list of views, select the view
you want to modify and use the Edit command to open its list.
· In the list of view items, select the one you want to delete and press the '-' button (e.g. the one called'My glass' in the following example).

· Press Update in the main window in order to update the view. Verify that your changes are done
properly.
Exercise 1
Start with an empty SCOUT configuration. Load the materials 'My glass' and 'My silicon' from thedatabase. Display all materials in the main window of SCOUT: 'Vacuum' in the upper left corner, 'My
glass' in the lower left corner, and 'My silicon' in the lower right corner.
Check your solution reading the section Solutions/Defining views/Exercise 1

7.2

54

Exercise 2: Display a layer stack in a viewNow you will learn how layer stacks can be displayed in a view. It's quite simple if you follow these
instructions:· Start SCOUT and open the configuration 'Layer_stack_exercise_2.sc2' that you created in aprevious session 16 .
· Open the list of layer stacks and drag the object called 'Ag on glass' to the main window of SCOUT.
It should look like this now:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Defining views

37· Like optical constant graphs in views, layer stacks can be moved and re-sized in a view byappropriate mouse actions. However, there is the following difference: Whereas the optical constantgraph is sensitive to the mouse cursor in a rectangle surrounding the whole graph, layer stacks inviews have a rather small rectangle of 'mouse sensitivity' in the bottom halfspace. This is sketched in
the following graph by the gray rectangle:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

38

SCOUT training· Play with shift and re-size operations in order to get a feeling for the special layer stack behaviour inviews.
· Inspect the coordinates of layer stack view objects in the view object list: These numbers refer to thedimensions of the gray sensitivity rectangle shown above:

Exercise 2
Start with the SCOUT configuration 'Layer_stack_exercise_2.sc2' that you created in a

© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Defining views

39

previous exercise 16 . Create a view that displays· the optical constants of silver in the upper left quarter of the main window· the optical constants of 'My glass' in the lower left quarter· the optical constants of 'My silicon' in the lower right quarter· the two layer stacks "Ag on glass' and 'Ag on Si wafer' in the upper right corner
Save the configuration using the name "View_exercise_2.sc2'.
Check your solution reading the section Solutions/Defining views/Exercise 2

7.3

55

Exercise 3: Computed spectra in views
Computed spectra can be displayed in views quite simply: Open the list of spectra (Objects|Spectra )and drag the spectrum you want to see to the desired position in the view. For a fine-tuning of theposition and the size of view objects, open the list of view objects and type in the wanted coordinates of
the individual objects.
Exercise 3
Start with the configuration 'Spectra_glass_visible_rt.sc2' that was the result of exercise 2 21 in thesection 'Spectra'.
Display· the computed reflectance spectrum in the lower left quarter of the main window· the transmittance spectrum in the lower right quarter· the optical constants of 'My glass' in the upper right quarter· and the layer stack in the upper left quarterof the main window.
Use the File|Save command to store these modifications of the configuration.
Check your solutions reading the section Solutions/Defining views/Exercise 3

7.4

56

Exercise 4: Modifying the model using sliders
This section tells you how parameters of the optical model can be changed graphically in a view. Thisfeature of SCOUT is very important to develop an intuitive feeling for the influence of individual
parameters on the final spectra.
Instructions:· Load the configuration 'Spectra_glass_visible_rt.sc2' that was created and re-fined inprevious exercises 39 . Use the command Objects|Views to open the list of views. Select the viewthat is defined there (I called it 'Spectrum view' ) and open it with Edit. The list should look like this:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

40

SCOUT training· To create a slider object, select in the dropdown box located to the right of the '+' button the object
type 'Horizontal bar' and press the '+' button. The following dialog lists all parameters of the current
optical model:· The selectable parameters are marked with a preceeding '>'. Click on the parameter 'Noname' of theobject 'My glass' and press OK.
· Select a color for the slider in the next dialog, e.g. red.
· You are now asked for the range of the parameter variation. Type in a minimum of 1.0 and amaximum of 5.0.
· Press update in the main window:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Defining views41· Notice that a horizontal bar graph has been created which is named 'No assignment yet' at present.
Go to the list of the view objects and type in the new name 'Refractive index'.
· If you like you can re-arrange the layer stack display and the bar graph a little (see below).
· Now place the mouse cursor on the bar graph, press the left mouse button down and drag the bar
position to a different position. Note that the optical constants and the spectra are instantly recomputed:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

42

SCOUT training

Exercise 4
After these modifications, save the configuration using the File|Save command.
Using the configuration above, answer the following questions:
1.
2.
3.

What refractive index leads to vanishing reflectance?
What refractive index leads to a perfect beam splitter with 50% transmittance and 50%
reflectance?
Diamond has a refractive index of about 2.4 in the visible. How large is the transmittance of adiamond window?

Solutions in Solutions|Defining views|Exercise 4 57 .

© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Part

VIII

44

SCOUT training

8

Using SCOUT tools

8.1

Exercise 1: DirectDF
SCOUT comes with several small tools that are added for specific tasks. The program DirectDF
computes the optical constants of transparent substrate materials such as glass directly frommeasured R and T spectra.
In this exercise you will learn how to use DirectDF in order to determine the optical constants of float
glass. The obtained data are added to the database for future use.
Instructions:· Start SCOUT· Use the menu command Tools|DirectDF to start the DirectDF program· The DirectDF help contains a step-by-step example that you should follow (Ignore the error message
that R+T is greater than 1 at some spectral points).
Exercise 1
Use the DirectDF tool to determine the optical constants of float glass in the spectral range 320 ...
2500 nm wavelength. Measured transmittance and reflectance spectra are given in the subfolder/data/float_glass delivered with this training instruction. The thickness of the glass is 4 mm.
Store the optical constants in the SCOUT database using the name 'Float glass (training)'.
Load the new material into SCOUT's material list, open its window and select the property 'Absorption
coefficient". Generate a graph using logarithmic scaling for the y-axis.
Check your solution reading the section Solutions/Using SCOUT tools/Exercise 1

57© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

Part

IX

46

SCOUT training

9

Solutions

9.1

Optical constants

9.1.1

Exercise 1
After exercise 1, the database should contain the new materials called 'My silicon' and 'My glass'. 'My
glass' should have the following optical constants:© 2004 Wolfgang TheissSolutions

9.1.2

Exercise 2
After exercise 2, the list of materials should look like this:9.2

Layer stacks

9.2.1

Exercise 1
The layer stack definition window should look like this after exercise 1:

9.2.2

Exercise 2
These are the two layer stacks that you should have obtained:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

47

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SCOUT training

9.3

Spectra9.3.1

Exercise 1
You should have obtained the following reflectance values in this exercise:© 2004 Wolfgang TheissSolutions

Angle

Polarization

Reflectance

45

s-pol

0.593

45

p-pol

0.302

10

s-pol

0.465

10

p-pol

0.452

75

s-pol

0.842

75

p-pol

0.004

63.23

s-pol

0.730

32.12

p-pol

0.386

.

9.3.2

Exercise 2
Here are the spectra that you should have obtained:a) 10 degree angle of incidence

Reflectance

1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
400

© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

450

500

550 600 650
Wavelength[nm]

700

49

SCOUT training

Transmittance

1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
400

450

500

550 600 650
Wavelength[nm]

700

450

500

550 600 650
Wavelength[nm]700b) Angle of incidence: 60 degree

1.0
Reflectance

50

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
400

© 2004 Wolfgang TheissSolutions

Transmittance

1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
400

9.4

Parameter fits

9.4.1

Exercise 1

450

500

550 600 650
Wavelength[nm]700

The value of the refractive index should be 3.55 and the main window should look like this:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

51

52

9.4.2

SCOUT training

Exercise 2
The new fit result should be something like this:© 2004 Wolfgang TheissSolutions

9.4.3

Exercise 3
A satisfying (I hope you agree) result is shown below:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

53

54

SCOUT training

This configuration is stored under the name 'Si_wafer_fit3.sc2'.

9.5

Defining views

9.5.1

Exercise 1
The view should look like this:© 2004 Wolfgang TheissSolutions

9.5.2

Exercise 2Your main window should look like this:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

55

56

SCOUT training

This is the content of the view object list:

9.5.3

Exercise 3
Here is what your main window should display:© 2004 Wolfgang TheissSolutions

9.5.4

57

Exercise 4
These are the answers to the questions of this exercise:
1.
2.
3.

What refractive index leads to vanishing reflectance? (1.0)
What refractive index leads to a perfect beam splitter with 50% transmittance and 50%
reflectance? (3.68)
Diamond has a refractive index of about 2.4 in the visible. How large is the transmittance of adiamond window? (71%)

9.6

Using SCOUT tools

9.6.1

Exercise 1
After this exercise you should have a graph similar to the following:© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

58

SCOUT training© 2004 Wolfgang TheissIndexIndex-Hhalfspace 15, 19
Height 34
help 4
homepage
4, 7-AAngle of incidence
Applications 4
author 4

24

-I-

-C-

impurities 28
Infrared 19, 21, 24

CD 7
CODE 7color dialog 9
configuration
7, 15
coordinates
34, 39-Kkeyboard 34
keyboard commands
Kim oscillator 28-Ddata points 19
database 9, 12, 15
Dielectric function model
Download 4, 7
drag 9, 12, 34, 36
drawing area 34
Drop 9, 12, 34
dropdown box 99layer stack 15, 36
Left 34
list 9list of fit parameters
24, 28list of materials
9, 12, 15, 34
lists 4

manual 4
material 9, 12
material assignment
15
mouse action 36
mouse actions 4
mouse cursor 34
mouse sensitivity 36
Moving a graph within a view
multiphonon absorption
28

7-Ffit parameters

-L-

-M-

-Ee 19
Edit 9executable

424-Gglass plate 15graphics 4
Graphics course 4graphics parameters© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss

34

-O28

object generation 7
objects 4
optical constant model 9
optical constants 19, 24, 28, 34

59

60
oscillators
Overview

SCOUT training
28
4-Ppassword 7
percentage
34
Polarization 19
position 34, 39
Property 9-RRange 9, 19
Recalc 9
reflectance19, 21, 24, 28
refractive index 9, 24
Re-sizing a graph in a view 34-Uupdate 7
username
7-Vversion 4, 7
view 39
view objects 39
views 34

-WWidth34-SSCOUT 7SCOUT program
7
sequence of exercises
4
setup 7
Shift button 34
silicon 9, 19, 24
silicon wafer 15
size 34, 39
slider 24
SpectraCalc format'
24
spectrum
19, 39Spectrum type 21
substrate 15
Support 4, 7
Susceptibilities
9-Ttechnical manual 4
Technical notes 4
Thick layer 15, 19
Thin film 15
Things to read 4
Top 34transmittance21
tutorial 4© 2004 Wolfgang Theiss