Deep microrelief measurement and stereo photography in scanning electron microscopy

Fundamental differences between standard photography and micro-object imaging in a scanning electron microscope are analyzed. Basic ways of taking stereograms with a scanning electron microscope by the object rotation method and the observing technique are described. It is shown that stereo photography correctly estimates the spatial arrangement of features in objects with an intricate microrelief and makes it possible to very accurately calculate the depth of this relief (which sometimes exceeds the field of vision at large magnifications) in wide limits (from 0.5 to 100.0 mu m). Using the developed surface of Li(4)Ti(5)O1(2) oxide and GaAs whiskers as examples, a stereographic computational method based on linear measurements of the same area on the object before and after rotation is demonstrated.