J.A. Woollam

06/30/2026

🔬📍 We're at ALD/ALE 2026 in Tampa! 🌴

The J.A. Woollam team is excited to be attending the ALD/ALE 2026 Conference at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street this week!

If you're attending the conference, be sure to stop by and connect with our team to learn how our spectroscopic ellipsometry solutions can help advance your thin film research and process development. From in situ and in-line measurements to advanced thin film characterization, we're here to discuss your application challenges and answer your questions.

Come say hello, grab some J.A. Woollam swag, and see what's new in ellipsometry! 👋

📍 Location: JW Marriott, Tampa, FL
🗓️ Event: ALD/ALE 2026

We look forward to seeing you there!

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06/18/2026

📢 New Publication Alert!

We're excited to share a new publication by Hans Arwin that features researchers from J.A. Woollam, among other collaborators worldwide.

🔬 Transmission Ellipsometry, Circular Birefringence and Circular Dichroism in the Mueller-Matrix Formalism

The study demonstrates how full Mueller-matrix measurements can separate complex anisotropic effects and help avoid misleading results that can arise when multiple polarization phenomena occur simultaneously.

💡 Key insights include:
🔹 Relationships between conventional measurements and Mueller-matrix elements
🔹 Improved interpretation of circular birefringence and circular dichroism data
🔹 Analysis of measurement accuracy, precision, and potential artifacts
🔹 The advantages of full Mueller-matrix characterization for advanced materials and metamaterials

Congratulations to Hans Arwin, Stefan Schoeche, James Hilfiker, and collaborators on this important contribution to the field of optical materials characterization! 👏

📖 Read the article to learn how Mueller-matrix methodologies continue to expand the possibilities of polarization-based materials analysis.

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0314738

Hans Arwin is a retired Professor from Linköping University and spends his summers on the Swedish coast, where fresh seafood is plentiful.

06/11/2026

J.A. Woollam Company Proudly Supports the Society of Vacuum Coaters Foundation's 2026 Virtual 5K! 🏃‍♂️‍➡️ 🏃‍➡️

As longstanding supporters of the Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC), J.A. Woollam Company was honored to participate in the 2026 SVC Foundation Virtual 5K. This annual event serves as a significant fundraiser for the SVC Foundation's educational scholarships.

Team Woollam's Highlights:

* Top Female Runners: 🏅
* Shoshana
* Lisa
* Jianing

* Top Male Runners: 🏅
* Reuben
* Andrew
* Zach

* Special Recognitions: 🎉
* Most 5Ks Completed: Brian
* Most Scenic Route: Ping
* Best Selfie: Greg

We're proud to contribute to the SVC Foundation's mission of supporting education in vacuum coating technology. Thank you to all participants and organizers for making this virtual event a success!

06/09/2026

📚 New Publication Announcement!

We're excited to highlight new research led by Olivia Gough and Kate Trinkaus, whose work explores how naturally derived templating layers can influence the growth and performance of organic photovoltaic materials. James Hilfiker of the J.A. Woollam Company was among the contributors on this collaborative study.

"In situ growth studies of vacuum-thermally evaporated films using ellagic acid templating for organic photovoltaics" Organic Electronics, Volume 156, September 2026, 107445.

This research demonstrates how ellagic acid can significantly influence the growth, molecular orientation, and performance of organic photovoltaic materials.

Using advanced in situ characterization techniques, the team showed that ellagic acid can reorient molecular packing in vacuum-thermally evaporated donor films, leading to improved charge carrier dynamics and enhanced solar cell performance.

🔬 Highlights:

✅ 5 nm of ellagic acid induces edge-on to face-on reorientation.

✅ Templating effect persists up to 90 nm thickness.

✅ Ellagic acid induces H-aggregation and reduces absorption.

✅ 5 nm of ellagic acid increases the short circuit current by 12% in BHJ devices.

Congratulations to Olivia, Katherine, James, and all co-authors and collaborators on this important contribution to the field of organic photovoltaics.

📖 Read the publication:
https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1nEfH5a62rtMnb

06/08/2026

📢 Join J.A. Woollam at the 2026 ALD/ALE Conference in Tampa, Florida! 🌴☀️

We're excited to be exhibiting at Booth #203 and connecting with the ALD/ALE community. Stop by to learn how spectroscopic ellipsometry can help advance your thin film characterization and process development.

🎤 Tutorial Session
📅 Sunday, June 28
👨‍🏫 James Hilfiker
📖 "Advances in Spectroscopic Ellipsometry for ALD and ALE Thin Film Characterization"

Whether you're working with ALD, ALE, or other advanced thin film technologies, we invite you to attend the tutorial and visit our team at the exhibit hall.

✅ Register for the conference here: https://ald2026.avs.org/

We look forward to seeing you in Tampa! 🌊🤝

06/03/2026

🔬 Excited to share our latest publication in Polymer Journal (Nature Portfolio).

We are pleased to share a new article published by Rafał Korlacki, Nina Hong, James N. Hilfiker, Craig Herzinger, Steve Green & Gerry Cooney reporting results obtained using the new addition to the J.A. Woollam family of spectroscopic ellipsometers: a prototype dual-rotating-element infrared ellipsometer that uses a quantum cascade laser (QCL) source. For the paper, Mueller matrix anisotropic ellipsometry measurements were performed on a biaxially oriented PEN polymer film, and the molecular absorptions in ellipsometry results were correlated with IR transition dipoles computed using density functional theory. The excellent agreement between the experimental and the calculated IR spectra revealed the average orientations of the polymer chains, as IR absorptions with transition dipoles perpendicular to the planes of polymer backbones only produced measured absorptions in the direction of the sample normal, thus clearly demonstrating that the molecular planes lie parallel to the surface.

A huge thank you to all collaborators and contributors who made this possible! 🙌

📖 Read the full article here (Open Access):
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41428-026-01198-x

05/26/2026

📢 New research publication:

A new article has been published in Thin Solid Films.

The paper investigates the properties of thin film PLZT ferroelectrics. Researchers at the University of Alabama, in conjunction with James Hilfiker from the J.A. Woollam Company, studied the structural, ferroelectric, optical, and photovoltaic properties of the films.
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📖 Access the paper before July 11:​
https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1n8d~9Ey6aSZy

Citation:
S. Kothapally, S. Kotru, and J.N. Hilfiker, “Thickness-dependent structural, optical, and photovoltaic behavior of Pb0.95La0.05Zr0.54Ti0.46O3 thin films for UV sensing applications,” Thin Solid Films 845 (2026)140967.

04/09/2026

We’re excited to share our latest publication in Journal of Applied Physics:

“Fast Mueller matrix infrared ellipsometry using quantum cascade laser: Applications in material characterization”

This work presents a high-speed infrared spectroscopic ellipsometer using a tunable quantum cascade laser (QCL), enabling rapid acquisition of Mueller matrix data with applications in material characterization and real-time process monitoring.

The study demonstrates:
• Measurement of complex molecular vibrations in polymers
• Characterization of anisotropic materials such as LiNbO₃
• Temperature-dependent analysis of phonon behavior
• Real-time monitoring of thin film growth (SiO₂ on Si)

By leveraging the high brightness of QCL sources, this approach significantly improves acquisition speed compared to conventional FTIR ellipsometry, opening new opportunities for in situ and in-line measurements.

📄 Read the full publication:

https://pubs.aip.org/aip/jap/article/139/13/134501/3386414/Fast-Mueller-matrix-infrared-ellipsometry-using

We present a high-speed infrared spectroscopic ellipsometer using a tunable quantum cascade laser (QCL), leveraging its high brightness for potential in situ an

03/24/2026

Atlanta is hosting a celebration of chemistry 🎉

J.A. Woollam Co. is at ACS Spring 2026 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, marking 150 years of the American Chemical Society (ACS) under the theme “Collaborate, Innovate, and Transform.” This global event brings together researchers, educators, and industry leaders to share the latest advancements in chemistry.

From materials science to surface analysis, the conference highlights innovations shaping research and technology—and the role of polarized light continues to be central in understanding material properties.

Stop by Booth 1108 to connect with our team and explore ellipsometry.

📍 Exhibit Hours
• Monday & Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Come meet Ron Synowicki and Matt Winburn at the booth.

03/20/2026

WizOptics hosted a two-day CompleteEASE seminar in Suwon (near Seoul), Korea at the Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology on March 18–19. Our J.A. Woollam Co. instructor, Nina Hong, PhD. was excited for such a fantastic turnout and expressed the enthusiasm from attendees throughout the event.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the seminar such a success.