Three-dimensional stylus profilometry

Work carried out at the National Bureau of Standards to acquire surface microtopographic data using three-dimensional stylus profilometry and to display the data as intensity variations on a television monitor is described. Images of the data are generated from an array of 512 × 512 8-bit digitized surface height values. The surface slope and wavelength capabilities of stylus instruments are compared with other surface microtopography measurement techniques to highlight their unique high vertical resolution capabilities for low sloped surfaces. Finally, examples of some alternative means for displaying three-dimensional data sets are given for three types of surface irregularities: a discrete feature, a periodic profile surface and a random profile surface. These representations of the topography are also compared with scanning electron micrographs of the same surface irregularities.