The new generation of “handheld electronics” including devices with flat panel displays (FPDs) such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), camcorders, and laptop personal computers (PCs), and the “3rd Generation Photovoltaics” that refers to development of high efficiency (>50%) solar cells place stringent demands on development of innovative processes for the growth of novel

Ellipsometry is now becoming popular in a widening field of applications because of the increasing miniaturization of integrated circuits, breakthroughs in knowledge of biological macromolecules deriving from DNA and protein surface research, materials physics design of thin film multilayer and surfaces, composite and smart materials and materials engineering at nanoscale. The ellipsometry technique is highly attractive for understanding both the optical and electrical properties, as well as the dimensionality of nanostructures since it can be used as an interactive diagnostics.

The interaction of a vehicle with atmosphere at hypersonic velocities is a subject of large interest in aerospace science and technology. Objects possessing high kinetic energy transfer much of this energy to the surrounding air molecules. The consequent excitation of many of the internal degrees of freedom of these molecules gives rise to non-equilibrium distributions in the rotational, vibrational and electronic degrees of freedom; it produces dissociation of the ambient species, chemical reactions and ionization.