Traceability of measurements at the nanoscale

Modern manufacturing is based on internationally accepted procedures and standards for production control which in turn require a system which guarantees globally comparable measurements, traceable to the international system of units, the SI. In the field of nanotechnology, however, the requirements for traceable characterization of functional structures and nanomaterials results in additional challenges due to the complex interaction of the nanoobjects of interest with the different kinds of high resolution microscopic (e. g. SEM, AFM) or integral (e. g. diffraction) measurement probes used for their characterization. Appropriate models for the description of the interaction between sample features and measurement probe have to be developed and applied in order to traceably determine dimensional parameters of the nanoobjects and to compare the results from different measurement methods. In this contribution examples for traceable characterization of functional parameters of manufactured nanostructures as well as nanoparticles will be given based on recent activities of the PTB, the national metrology institute of Germany with a focus on the support of nanomanufacturing processes.