This thesis presents the technological foundation for developing measurement standards tailored for confocal microscopes in surface metrology. It examines the impact of various noise sources on topography height determination from confocal curves. The sensitivity of centre-of-mass, cross-correlation, and polynomial fit algorithms to these noise sources is analyzed, deriving closed-form expressions for height uncertainty. The polynomial fit algorithm is found to be the least affected by random noise. Furthermore, the imaging properties of confocal microscopes are explored through numerical simulations and comparative experimental data. Systematic error sources are identified by analyzing light interactions between the microscope and specimens with basic geometrical cross-sections, such as inclined mirrors and rectangular gratings. The findings indicate that aberrations and specimen geometry significantly influence measurement accuracy. The insights gained inform the design of measurement standards for accurate calibration of confocal microscopes. Additionally, a hot embossing process is utilized to replicate these standards from various materials into polymers. Measurement data is provided to validate the replication process and the effectiveness of the polymer standards.
