Characterization of plasmonic effects in thin films and metamaterials using spectroscopic ellipsometry

► We review plasmonics and metamaterials characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry. ► We describe the theory and terminology for plasmonic effects in ellipsometric data. ► The application of ellipsometry for sensing and in situ growth monitoring is shown. ► Ellipsometric measurements of highly anisotropic and magnetic metamaterials are shown.