Mueller matrix metrology: Depolarization reveals size distribution

The analysis of critical dimensions of nanostructured areas should ideally give both their size with nanometer resolution and the size distribution over a large area, two contradicting goals for most microscopic techniques. Here, we demonstrate that Mueller-matrix metrology is a fast and nondestructive technique able to identify deviations, as small as 1 to 2 nm, from the desired shape and the statistical distribution of sizes on a potentially unlimited area. Tiny shape deviations are accessible from Mueller-matrix measurements over a complete azimuthal rotation after the subsequent differential decomposition of the matrices and elucidated from small anisotropies. The size distribution is hidden in the depolarization and is extracted by comparing the simulated and measured sum-decomposed Mueller matrices. This study especially demonstrates that depolarization concealed in measured Mueller matrices contains valuable information about the sample.The analysis of critical dimensions of nanostructured areas should ideally give both their size with nanometer resolution and the size distribution over a large area, two contradicting goals for most microscopic techniques. Here, we demonstrate that Mueller-matrix metrology is a fast and nondestructive technique able to identify deviations, as small as 1 to 2 nm, from the desired shape and the statistical distribution of sizes on a potentially unlimited area. Tiny shape deviations are accessible from Mueller-matrix measurements over a complete azimuthal rotation after the subsequent differential decomposition of the matrices and elucidated from small anisotropies. The size distribution is hidden in the depolarization and is extracted by comparing the simulated and measured sum-decomposed Mueller matrices. This study especially demonstrates that depolarization concealed in measured Mueller matrices contains valuable information about the sample.