Scanning force microscopy was used to investigate the morphology and the microroughness of the dry etched surfaces of titanium masks and InP substrates. The influence of different ion beam etching procedures on the surface roughness has been studied. Since the observed surface structures were on the nanometer scale, sharp microtips with an improved geometry were used in order to obtain high lateral and vertical resolution. The tips were produced by electron‐beam‐induced deposition employing a field emission scanning electron microscope. Tip convolution effects were considered and, moreover, a scan artifact at steep surfaces features was revealed.