Stylus profilometry is a method to accurately measure the topography of a surface. It is able to measure a step height, such as the thickness of a deposited film or the etch depth of a feature, as well the roughness of a surface. Stylus profilometry has four main components: topography sensor, pivot, force compensation, stylus. The pivot connects the stylus to the topography sensor, translating the change in motion from the stylus to the sensor. The force compensation mechanism is connected through the pivot to determine the amount of force that will be exerted on the sample surface.

The profilometer DektakXT-A from Bruker utilizes a LVDT (Linear Variable Differential Transformer) sensor to control the applied force in a range between 0.03 to 15mg. This system allows a vertical range scanning up to 1mm with a vertical resolution <0.5 nm, and provides excellent resolution for roughness measurements, wall and trench characterization, and measurements in constrained areas. 

The profilometer is able to analyze the surface topography of different kind of solid-like materials (stiff and soft / organic and inorganic), with the ability to provide a 2D and 3D maps of the surface morphology, with a maximum scanning length of 200 mm by stitching.