Profilometery Lab

Horizon Optical Profilometer
The Horizon is an optical profilometer that measures surface rougness by means of optical interferometry, the interference and non-interference of monochromatic light as it reflects from the surface. A detailed description of how the system works is given in the Optical Profilometer Presentation. Since the measurements are based on the optical properties reflected from a surface, the optical properties of each surface must be the same. In many cases it may be necessary to coat the sample with Au to maintain uniform optical properties across the specimen. This is a non-contact type of measurement that yields rougness over an area as opposed to the stylus profilometer that only gives rougness over a single line.