OptiLayer thin film software consists of several modules: OptiLayer (design and evaluation), OptiChar (optical characterization),and OptiRE (post-production characterization and reverse engineering.

All modules are compatible on the database level and can easily exchange data. This is the only thin film software that uses threaded computations. This allows the user to interact with the software without interrupting computations and to obtain all other benefits of the modern Windows environment.



OptiLayer software utilizes the most up-to-date software decisions and has mathematical kernel designed on the highest professional level. User interface of OptiLayer software confirms the latest Windows 95 specifications and is extremely convenient to use.

General

OptiLayer software can operate under wide spectral and angle of incidence ranges. The number of points in spectral or angle of incidence grids is practically unlimited (up to 8192*4096). For user convenience there are two main modes of the software: spectral mode and angular mode. In both modes, targets (or measurement data in OptiChar and OptiRE) can be specified over two-parametric (spectral parameter and angle of incidence) domains. The spectral mode is more convenient when spectral dependencies of coating characteristics are the main interest, while the angular mode is more convenient when the user is mostly interested in angular dependencies of coating characteristics. Spectral parameters can be specified in micrometers, nanometers, angstroms, inverse centimeters, and electron volts. Angular parameters can be specified either in degrees or in radians.

All programs of the OptiLayer software are organized around discrete database directories which allow the user to store data for specific problems in separately identified directories without mixing them up. At the same time, convenient options allow the transfer of data files between various directories. A special directory, CATALOG, contains data files with standard light sources and a library of optical glasses.


Input Options

All programs of the OptiLayer software family have a set of original editing options, which enable convenient and fast input of numerical and symbolic data. These options include linear and nonlinear grid generators, column editor allowing the fast generating of data in columns, copying, inserting and deleting options, pages editor allowing the fast generating of huge arrays of data specified over two-parametric domains, specific import options allowing easy input of numerical data from any external ASCII file. The last options make OptiLayer compatible with all other commercial thin film software packages and with the user's own software.

OptiLayer supports data acquisition from the data files of widely used spectrophotometers and ellipsometers, in particular, data files written in JCAMP-DX format.


Graphical Options

Graphical options of OptiLayer software will meet all demands of even the most captious user. The user can control the display and appearance of all chart elements, label area, line, and data point elements, control the scale and appearance of various types of axis, control the positioning and appearance of various titles, footnotes, and legends, and do much more.

Due to the implementation of threaded computations the user has a unique opportunity to control and change chart windows in the on-line regime without interrupting computations. Convenient dialog boxes allow this to be done in a quite simple way.


Output Options

Results obtained by the programs of the OptiLayer software family are presented in a graphical form and in the form of "Reports" containing numerical data and detailed text comments related to these data. The user can print and save all chart windows and reports. Chart windows can be saved as *.VTC files (special format of the powerful OptiLayer graphical option 'Plot Engine'), *.WMF files (Windows metafiles format), *.BMP files (bitmapped graphics format). Reports are saved as ASCII files.