ABSTRACT
Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in research directed at the development and applications of optical methods for surface metrology. This is due to a number of factors such as greater familiarity with laser techniques, availability of new commercial equipment, and developments in solid-state detector arrays and image processing. This entry distinguishes spectrophotometric techniques, ellipsometry, and the m-line technique. Focus will be given to other specific techniques allowing film thickness measurement or profilometry, such as stylus profilometry, laser profilometry, white light interferometry, or atomic force microscopy.
