Microdeflectometry--a novel tool to acquire three-dimensional microtopography with nanometer height resolution.

We introduce "microdeflectometry," a novel technique for measuring the microtopography of specular surfaces. The primary data are the local slope of the surface under test. Measuring the slope instead of the height implies high information efficiency and extreme sensitivity to local shape irregularities. The lateral resolution can be better than 1 microm, whereas the resulting height resolution is in the range of 1nm. Microdeflectometry can be supplemented by methods to expand the depth of field, with the potential to provide quantitative 3D imaging with scanning-electron-microscope-like features.