The method of total internal reflection ellipsometry for thin film characterisation and sensing

Recently developed method of Total Internal Reflection Ellipsometry (TIRE) represents a very successful combination of the spectroscopic ellipsometry instrumentation with the Kretchmann type Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) geometry of the experiment. The modelling shows much higher sensitivity of the TIRE method to small changes in optical parameters (thickness and refractive index) of thin films, as compared to both traditional external reflection ellipsometry and SPR. Considering another advantage of performing the measurements in media of different optical density (and even opaque media), TIRE becomes very convenient for different sensing applications in both gaseous and liquid media, as well as for thin film characterisation. This work presents examples of applications of the TIRE method for the study of DNA hybridization and the registration of low molecular weight toxins.