Methods and apparatus for high throughput sem and afm for characterization of nanostructured surfaces

A method of characterizing nanostructured surfaces comprising:

• (a) placing a sample including a plurality of vertically free standing nanostructures in an SEM chamber;
• (b) SEM imaging the sample in the SEM chamber;
• (c) For each of a plurality of selected vertically standing nanostructures of the plurality of the vertically standing nanostructures:
• (1) locating one of the selected nanostructures using images from the SEM imaging,
• (2) excising a top portion of predetermined length of said one of the nanostructures while holding the portion with a probe,
• (3) placing said top portion on a substrate such that the nanostructures are perpendicular to the substrate and a base of the top portion contacts the substrate, and
• (4) high energy ion beam assisted deposition of metal at the base to attach the top portion to the substrate;
• (d) SEM imaging the top portions in the SEM chamber;
• (e) determining coordinates of the top portions relative to the substrate from the SEM imaging of the top portions;
• (f) placing the substrate in an AFM chamber;
• (g) AFM imaging of the top portions using the coordinates;
• (h) using the coordinates to overlay an AFM image from the AFM imaging of the top portion on an SEM image of the SEM imaging of the top portion to an overlaid image.