As semiconductor architectures become more complex and process windows continue to tighten, the demand for higher-resolution, more reliable metrology is accelerating. Features are becoming smaller, surface interactions more critical, and conventional measurement approaches are increasingly challenged to provide the accuracy, speed and repeatability required for advanced process control.

Closing this metrology gap will be essential to maintaining yield, improving process understanding and enabling the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing. This paper explores the growing measurement challenge, the limitations of existing approaches, and the role of angstrom-scale surface characterisation in providing more meaningful insight at the point where process decisions are made.