Description

A technique of measuring or quantitatively analyzing the surface roughness or waviness of a sample. It is largely categorized into contact type and non-contact type. The contact type traces the surface of a sample with a diamond stylus, and it has been widely used for many years. The non-contact type uses light for tracing the surface. Interferometers and confocal microscopes (laser microscopes) are among the non-contact type surface roughness measurement tools.