Support

SCOUT_98:Bugfixes and program modifications

August 98

SCOUT_98 now has a built-in database for optical constants. The access to the database is provided by the 'Borland Database Engine' (BDE) which is installed to your system during the setup procedure. Now, since the setup is quite large, SCOUT_98 is distributed on a CD. As a registered user, ask for a free update CD. Once you have installed the program from the CD (including the BDE) future versions that simply replace SCOUT_98.EXE or add a few small files will be distributed on floppy or by file download.

September 98

Most program crashes were caused by deletion of objects that are still needed by other objects, e.g. if you deleted a dielectric function used in the layer stack. These times are gone due to the implementation of a reference check before an object is deleted. In case an object that you want to delete is still needed you will get the message 'Object cannot be deleted'.

OLE automation controllers can now extract from SCOUT_98 the current values of the dielectric functions, the simulated spectra and also the measured spectra.

An error in the OJL dielectric function model has been fixed. For very large gamma values there was a discontinuity in the computed imaginary part causing a sharp peak or dip in the real part after the KKR. This error has been removed.Unfortunately, all parameters of the model are changed slightly, due to this bugfix. If you have worked with the OJL model already you have to re-do all your fits. However, the values of the parameters do not change very much, in most cases.

The import filter for spectra recorded with Zeiss spectrometers has been improved and supports now the latest version of the data format.

We switched to a new compiler version which has a lot of advantages compared to the previous one in september 98. This means for our customers that the programs are a little faster now and may get some new features in the future. On the other hand, the new program versions that use the Borland Database Engine (BDE, see above) require the latest BDE version. So, if you are a customer and you want to get new program versions, ask for a new distribution CD.

The fit parameter list has now a button to delete all fit parameters. The report command now generates a table of the fit parameters in the report window which can easily be transferred via the clipboard to your favourite word processor or spreadsheet.

The report button in the dielectric function database application now generates a list of all available dielectric functions (and their spectral range) in the report window.

Bugfix: SCOUT_98 did its work as invisible OLE automation server significantly slower compared to the speed it reached when working as a visible window in the foreground. This bug has been fixed such that the speed is almost the same now.

'KKR dielectric function' objects could not be re-imported from the dielectric function database. This has been fixed.

Up to now the dielectric function database was opened at program start which caused problems when several people started the same SCOUT_98.EXE file in a network. This has been fixed in a way, that the database is only opened after pressing the 'Database' button in the dielectric function list. It is closed again (and accessible to other users) after closing the database window.

The last 6 configuration filenames now appear as menu items in the 'File' submenu for quick reloading of previous configurations.

The 'Range' command in the SCOUT_98 main window executes a dialog that did ignore the action of the Cancel button. This bug is removed so if you press Cancel nothing happens and the desired action is only performed after the OK button has been pressed.

October 98

In some cases SCOUT_98 caused an 'access violation error' either during the program exit or loading a new configuration. This happened if in the present configuration a standard file had been imported. The comment string read from the standard data file was then stored in the SCOUT_98 binary configuration file in a wrong way. Loading this faulty configuration caused an invalid pointer to a string. Terminating the program or deleting the current configuration in order to import a new configuration SCOUT_98 used the invalid pointer and crashed. Well, this error should not occur any more. Please note, however, that the comment string of an imported standard data file is not saved in a SCOUT_98 configuration.

The Bruker Opus file import routine showed an 'Invalid floating point' operation with some Bruker files. The import error has been corrected and should work now for all files.

November 98

Up to now SCOUT_98 did compute absolute spectra only. In some cases, however, it is useful to measure relative spectra and compare those data to simulated relative spectra. A typical example is a very thin film deposited on a substrate and investigated in transmission. If the differences between the spectra of the plain substrate and the film/substrate system are small, using absolute spectra it is very hard to inspect the fit. Now you can also compute relative simulated spectra. Please see the new version of the SCOUT_98 help file for instructions (section about Spectra|Normalization).

New models for interband transitions: The Campi-Coriasso and the Tauc-Lorentz models have been added to the SCOUT_98 susceptibility types. The models are explained in the new help files which are available for download.

January 99

Layers with lateral thickness variations (a feature of the old SCOUT_94) can now be considered in SCOUT_98. A rectangular thickness distribution function as well as a Gaussian shape are defined up to now.

The Bruker Opus-format import routine has been improved.

SCOUT_98 supports also the computation and fitting of ellipsometry spectra.

The easy description of gradually changing optical properties is now possible with the new 'concentration gradient' layers. User-defined formulas with up to six constants may be defined where all constants can be used as fitting parameters with user-defined names. See the new helpfile for details.

February 99

Once more the Bruker Opus-format import routine has been improved.

An error in the export dialog of dielectric functions has been fixed.

The graphics update has been improved: The printer paper shown as the white background of all graphics was drawn in each graphics update causing some flickering when updates occurred rather frequently, e.g. during automatic fitting. Now only the data area is erased and filled with new plots unless the window is resized or a previously hidden part becomes visible. This leads to a much smoother appearance.

Some OLE automation commands have been added which makes some remote control actions easier. You can call a dialog to select multiple files which can later be used to perform batch operations. OLE clients can write to a report window which can be saved to a file or to the clipboard. These functions are in particular useful when working with VBScripts running under the Windows Scripting Host which is available from Microsoft for Windows 95, 98 and NT.

April 99

Each dielectric function window now has 3 subwindows showing the refractive index, the absorption coefficient and the energy loss function computed from the dielectric function. You can export these quantities from the individual windows which - as usual - also export their graphics to the Windows clipboard or to metafiles. You can select between automatic update of these windows if the dielectric function changes (this takes some computational time during automatic fitting routines, though) or manual update (picking a menu command).

There are a few new OLE automation commands that have been introduced to enable a kind of 'pre-fit': You can set a grid of N points between given minimum and maximum value of a fit parameter and SCOUT will find the best one, i.e. the one that leads to the smallest fit deviation. This can be used, for example, for a pre-selection of a layer thickness if wrong interference fringe orders prohibit a completely automatic fit. In this case, try various thicknesses on a coarse grid (being fine enough not to miss any interference order) and start the automatic fit with the right order.

Each spectrum now offers its angle of incidence as fit parameter. This feature is not meant to really fit this value (which is known in almost all cases) but to be able to set the angle of incidence by OLE automation or to vary it by sliders which can give useful insights into the optical properties of thin film systems.

May 99

There has been a signifant upgrade of the optical constant database. The new data ara available for download now.

June 99

The most general effective medium approach, the Bergman representation, is now implemented in SCOUT_98. The corresponding documentation is not yet ready, though.

We removed a bug in the computation of ellipsometry spectra of multilayers.

For manual parameter fitting you can now do an automated 'fit on a grid' for one selected parameter. This feature was already available for OLE clients - now you can use it in the fit parameter list. See the description in the updated helpfile.

Juli 99

In the fit parameter list, you can create a slider by a simple right mouse button click (as in the previous SCOUT_94).

Master model objects are dielectric function models with the additional feature that you can compute the values of selected susceptibility parameters from user-defined parameters by user-defined formulas. This provides a very high modelling flexibility. See the updated helpfile for more information.

An error in the effective dielectric function objects has been removed. Sometimes dielectric function models for the host or the particle materials had not been recomputed after parameter changes. This seems to work now correctly.

August 99

A new extension of the harmonic oscillator susceptibity called the 'Kim oscillator' has been added to SCOUT. Like in 'Brendel oscillators' you can switch between Gaussian and Lorentzian lineshape. The computational effort, however, is much lower. See the updated helpfile for details.

Selecting fit parameters by drag&drop: Instead of using the fit parameter selection dialog, you can also select fit parameters by drag and drop operations. You have the following possibilities:

• Drag a dielectric function from the dielectric function to the fit parameter list: All the parameters of the dielectric function are added as fit parameters.

• Drag from a susceptibility of a dielectric function model to the fit parameter list: All the susceptibility parameters are added as fit parameters. If you start the drag operation in a column that represents a value of a parameter (these columns are labeled as 'value') only that particular fit parameter is added.

• Drag a single parameter of a susceptibility of a dielectric function model to a spectrum simulation window: This action adds the parameter to the fit parameter list and creates a slider at the mouse cursor position in the spectrum simulation window.

• Drag a layer from the layer stack to the fit parameter list: All the parameters of that layer are added.

• Drag a spectrum from the spectrum list to the fit parameter list: All the parameters of that spectrum are added.

You can also drag a fit parameter from the fit parameter list to a spectrum simulation window to create a slider at the mouse cursor position.

If you drag a fit parameter from the fit parameter list to an existing slider you create a new slider. The new slider is placed directly below the existing one if the mouse button is released in the left half of the existing slider window. If the cursor is in the right half the new slider is placed to the right of the existing one.

If you import experimental spectra SCOUT now warns you if the spectral units of measurement and simulation don't match.

October 99

The import routines of 'Imported dielectric function' objects have been improved. You can now import dielectric functions from data tables with a frequency column and columns for the real and imaginary part. You can also import complex refractive index (n and k) data from standard files or ASCII tables. After the import action these data are automatically converted to dielectric functions.

December 99

SCOUT_98 now supports the treatment of special anisotropic layers: The optical constants in the direction of the surface normal may differ from those in the surface plane. You can introduce an arbitrary number of such layers. However, there are some restrictions: You cannot use rough interface layes or variable thickness layers in combination with anisotropic layers. In addition, you can use only one incoherent layer (e.g. a thick transparent substrate) in the stack. In this case, the spectrum is computed by averaging many spectra with slightly different thickness values.

SCOUT_98 can easily exchange spectra with Data Factory by drag&drop.

End of SCOUT_98 development

By the end of 1999 we stopped the development of SCOUT_98. The successor is called SCOUT (version 2).

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