Measuring surface topography
The choice of technique is determined by how small details one wants to resolve, and how large area one needs to cover in one image. Different instruments can measure topography and shape over certain length scales laterally and in depth. The table gives the resolution and measurement ranges for the instruments available at SINTEF Materials and Chemistry.
Vertical
resolution | Lateral
resolution |
Image width |
Instrument |
| 0,1 nm | 1 nm | 100 nm - 250 µm | Atomic Force Microskope (AFM) |
| 1 nm | 1 µm | 120 µm - 10 cm | White Light Interferometer (WLI) |
| 1-100 µm | 10-1000 µm | 1 cm - 1 m | Structured light |
Contact person: Børge Holme phone: (+47) 98 28 39 46
