Novel In-situ Metrology Technology for Nanoscale Precision Surface Topography and Error Traceability Analysis

Abstract

In advanced engineering and precision manufacturing, nanoscale surface topography significantly influences the operational performance, reliability, and service lifespan of high-end components, particularly in microelectronics, aerospace, and MEMS applications. In-situ metrology is a critical technique for real-time monitoring and error compensation during precision machining; however, conventional metrology methods face key challenges including difficulty in balancing sub-nanometer measurement accuracy with fast real-time responsiveness, and lack of systematic error traceability mechanisms. To address these limitations, this study proposes a novel in-situ metrology technology based on synchronized heterodyne interferometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM), which enables high-precision characterization of nanoscale surface topography and quantitative analysis of error sources. Under optimized noise suppression and environmental control conditions, experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technology achieves a measurement resolution of 0.01 nm in the vertical direction and 0.1 nm in the horizontal direction, outperforming conventional laser interferometers for surface metrology. This work contributes to the technical framework of in-situ metrology for nanoscale precision manufacturing, and provides a reliable technical basis for the high-precision and high-stability production of advanced components. The key innovations of this study include: (1) the development of a hybrid AFM-interferometry measurement architecture with a new synchronization strategy to address limitations of single-technique metrology; and (2) the construction of a quantitative error traceability model that enables accurate positioning and compensation of nanoscale measurement errors.