Measurements of the surface microroughness with the scanning electron microscope

A three-dimensional reconstruction system for scanning electron microscope consisting of a quadruple scintillator detector, a four-channel frame-grabber and PC-based processing unit was developed. The authors explored a method that takes advantage of the angular distribution of secondary electron emission to obtain quantitative topography contrast and surface profiles. Software processing algorithms were developed to carry out the reconstruction process and compensate for several types of errors, inherent in the method. After pre-calibration, the system allows obtaining surface topography with calculation of microroughness and waviness statistical parameters. The roughness estimation procedure was tested on metal roughness standards for machining and etched silicon surfaces. The main advantages of the system are almost real-time operation and reliable, composition-independent reconstruction for a broad class of materials.