Topography analysis studies the physical details of a material¿s surface with respect to the roughness and homogeneity playing a key role in defining the final application for which the material is intended. The changes in roughness and surface topography can occur as a result of chemical and/or physical alterations of the materials. Such changes may happen over time due to aging or as a consequence of different treatment processes. The knowledge of surface chemical and physical properties is essential in practically all areas of application, in specific, when a surface serves as a biomolecular receptor. This chapter reviews the atomic force microscope (AFM), a scanning probe microscope, that provides topographic images of the sample¿s surface according to the interactions between a tip and the surface. In addition, the chapter is dedicated to evaluate Raman spectroscopy (RAMAN) as an imaging tool to provide multidimensional analytical knowledge on a surface roughness and topography. Furthermore, this chapter describes the history of these methods, mechanism of operation, advantages and drawbacks, and biosensing applications. Finally, the troubleshooting includes common errors for these characterization techniques along with possible causes and solutions.
