Surface roughness and fractal dimension characterization of the topography in pristine and defected nanostructure arrays

Authors

  • Lourenz O. Baliber Department of Physics, University of San Carlos
  • Cindy L. Flores Department of Physics, University of San Carlos
  • Marvie Rose A. Madriaga Department of Physics, University of San Carlos
  • Wilfred V. Rios Department of Physics, University of San Carlos
  • Rommel G. Bacabac Department of Physics, University of San Carlos https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6148-6268

Abstract

This study investigates the surface roughness characteristics and fractal dimension of nanostructured arrays using atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of silicon-based samples. The research compares pristine surfaces with defect-containing regions by quantifying surface roughness parameters (Ra, Rq, Rt, Rsk, Rku) and determining fractal dimensions through cube-counting methods. Image processing was performed using Gwyddion software with a scaling factor of 0.01667 μm per pixel. Results revealed significant differences between pristine and defected surfaces, with the defect area showing approximately 8-fold higher roughness values (Ra: 12.26 nm vs. 101.13 nm). Regional analysis of the defected surface revealed statistically significant variations in fractal dimensions across different quadrants (ranging from D = 2.08 to D = 2.17), with the bottom quadrants exhibiting higher complexity than the top quadrants. Power spectral density (PSD) and autocorrelation function (ACF) analyses further characterized the spatial frequency distribution and correlation lengths of surface features. This comprehensive characterization approach could serve as an alternative technique for quantifying overall surface complexity in nanotopographic characterization.

SPP2025 Proceedings Cover

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Published

2025-06-14

Issue

2025: Proceedings of the 43rd Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas Physics Conference

Section

Complex Systems and Data Analytics

License

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All other associated economic and moral rights as granted by the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines are maintained by the Authors.

How to Cite

[1]
“Surface roughness and fractal dimension characterization of the topography in pristine and defected nanostructure arrays”, Proc. SPP, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. SPP–2025, Jun. 2025, Accessed: Mar. 31, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://proceedings.spp-online.org/article/view/SPP-2025-2G-02