Profilometer

Overview

Profilometer is an instrument that measures a surface's profile or roughness at the nanometer level. A contact profilometer has a diamond stylus that physically touches the surface. It is not sensitive to surface color or reflectance. Optical or non-contact profilometers scan the surface with light. A confocal microscopecan be used for characterizing a surface.

see wikipedia [Profilometer]

Technique

Video instructions for the Wycko Profilometer at GT Microelectronics Research Center