Home > Techniques and equipment > Profilometry

Profilometry

By sweeping a diamond tip across the sample, a profilometer measures the relief of a surface.

This equipment can be used to evaluate surface roughness (from nm to µm), determine the surface radius of curvature, measure variations in surface height, and determine the thickness of a thin film (from a few nm to 1 mm).

At the Institut des Matériaux de Nantes Jean Rouxel, the profilometer is mainly used to verify and quantify the deposition of thin films.

Our KLA P7 mechanical profilometer

To know the rates and have access to our profilometer, please contact us by email:

Local academic collaboration with the Institut d’Électronique et des Technologies du NuméRique (IETR)

Technical specifications

Thickness resolution (vertical): 1 nm;
Repeatability: 0.4 nm;
Vertical measurement range: a few nm to 1 mm;
Adjustable scan length: 20 µm to 150 mm;
Maximum number of dots per scan: 2 million;
Maximum acquisition frequency: 2000 Hz;
Stylet force: adjustable from 0.5 mg to 50 mg;
Maximum 2D lateral resolution: 25 nm;
Maximum 3D lateral resolution: 0.5 µm;
Stage size (sample holder): 156 mm;
XY displacement: repositioning 2 µm over 150 mm;
Theta motorized rotation: 360° (resolution 0.1°);
Sample height: from a few hundred µm to 50 mm.

Examples and applications

300 µm scan of an 86 nm high step:

3D view of the surface of a 924 nm wedge: