AFM in surface finishing: Part II. Surface roughness

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is able to provide surface roughness information on a sub-micrometer scale that is not possible using traditional profilometry methods, such as Taly-Surf. These techniques, however, remain useful for characterizing very rough surfaces, although they have now been largely replaced with laser profilometry and interferometry methods. AFM provides a simple, rapid and accurate method for measuring surface roughness of materials where the corrugations are smooth enough to permit stable imaging with the flexible cantilever assembly.