If you have difficulty in submitting comments on draft standards you can use a commenting template and email it to admin.start@bsigroup.com. The commenting template can be found here.
Standards Development
This paper presents two non-destructive optical methods for determining the thickness of thin films by infrared spectroscopy. The interference fringe method is suitable for transparent films that produce periodic modulation in the infrared spectrum, while the characteristic absorption peak method is applicable to films with identifiable infrared absorption bands. These methods are widely used in industries such as semiconductors, optics, coatings, and polymers for quality control and process monitoring
Film thickness is a key quality parameter in strategic emerging industries such as semiconductors, optics, and photovoltaics. Infrared spectroscopy, with its outstanding advantages of rapidity, nondestructiveness, and applicability in online settings, has become a widely adopted measurement method in the industrial sector. This proposal aims to establish an international standard to regulate the test methods for determining film thickness using infrared spectroscopy (interference fringe method and characteristic absorption peak method). Currently, although this technology is widely applied in multiple critical industries such as semiconductors, optical manufacturing, and photovoltaics due to its rapid and non-destructive nature, the lack of a unified international standard leads to a lack of comparability in measurement results among different laboratories and manufacturers, seriously affecting supply chain quality control, technological exchanges, and trade facilitation. The establishment of this standard will fill this gap by providing clear and operational instrument requirements, sample preparation, measurement procedures, and data processing norms, ensuring the consistency and traceability of measurement results, thereby significantly reducing testing costs, enhancing production efficiency, and providing a solid support for the innovation and sustainable development of the global thin film technology industry. From both technical and implementation perspectives, this proposal is highly feasible. The underlying interference principle and Lambert-Beer law are classic physical theories, and the technology is mature and reliable; Fourier transform infrared spectrometers, as the core equipment, have been widely adopted globally, with a low implementation threshold. The draft content is structurally complete, strictly adhering to the ISO test method standard format, covering core elements such as principles, calibration, and uncertainty assessment, and has designed an inter-laboratory comparison verification plan. In response to potential technical challenges such as refractive index uncertainty, the standard will effectively address these issues by providing reference data and clearly defining the scope of application. This standard will complement and coordinate with existing standards such as ASTM without substantial conflicts, and its formulation will significantly promote technological progress and market integration in the global thin film industry.
Required form fields are indicated by an asterisk (*) character.
You are now following this standard. Weekly digest emails will be sent to update you on the following activities:
You can manage your follow preferences from your Account. Please check your mailbox junk folder if you don't receive the weekly email.
You have successfully unsubscribed from weekly updates for this standard.
Comment by: