TS ISO 18115-3

TS ISO 18115-3 is a vocabulary standard for terms used in surface chemical analysis, focused on optical interface analysis. It establishes a common technical language for areas such as ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy, nonlinear optical techniques, and the general optical terms used alongside them.

Why terminology matters in optical interface analysis

Optical interface analysis uses light–matter interactions to extract information about surfaces, thin films, and interfacial layers, often including composition, thickness, refractive index, surface condition, or structural features. In this field, precise terminology is important because the same physical concept may appear in different measurement models or data-processing contexts. As a vocabulary document, this part helps keep the meaning of key terms aligned across laboratories and disciplines.

Technical scope in context

• Ellipsometric and related polarization-based optical measurement concepts
• Surface and interface terminology used in Raman spectroscopy
• Terms associated with nonlinear optical techniques
• General optical terminology relevant to surface chemical analysis

As a terminology standard rather than a test method standard, this document clarifies concepts instead of prescribing experimental procedures. In practice, optical interface techniques are widely used for characterizing multilayer systems such as films, coatings, semiconductors, glass, and other layered materials. TS ISO 18115-3 provides the conceptual foundation that makes this technical area easier to describe consistently and interpret correctly.