Characterization of surface topography by SEM and SFM: problems and solutions

An overview is given of the application of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning force microscopy (SFM) to the characterization of surface topography. The potential `blindness' of SEM to surface topographical variations, and the contribution of tip - sample convolution to the measurement process, which can result in the misinterpretation of SFM data, are reviewed. The experimental characterization of different materials by SEM, employing high- and low-energetic primary electrons, and by SFM (including parallel studies of the same regions) allowed direct comparison of SEM and SFM data and permitted the direct estimation of the surface sensitivity of SEM relative to SFM. Further progress, including combining SFM and SEM in one instrument, is discussed.