A new surface characterization technique: RIMAPS (Rotated Image with Maximum Average Power Spectrum)

This work introduces a new imaging technique, Rotated Image with Maximum Average Power Spectrum (RIMAPS), for use in determining orientation and characteristics of surface topography. It consists of computing the maximum value of the averaged power spectrum, given by one step of the two-dimensional Fourier transform, for each angle of rotation of a digitized image. The basic measurement science of this technique is described and different cases are studied. The characterization of simple geometrical figures explains the meaning of peaks and their angular positions given by RIMAPS analysis. A known surface pattern made on a sample of pure copper, mechanically ground, is used to study reproducibility, dependence on image quality and topography scale relative to pixel size and magnification. Samples of pure zinc, mechanically ground and chemically etched, were used to show the main features of RIMAPS analysis when characterizing a more complicated pattern on a real surface. All the studies performed under different conditions for observation and acquisition of images give strong evidence of the stability and robustness of RIMAPS as a technique for the characterization of topography.