The purpose of this work is to compare for thin film analysis, atomic force microscopy, a recently emerging tool, with well-established nuclear analysis techniques. The comparison is conducted using typical samples of InAs/GaAs heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy under standard conditions as well as samples grown with Te as surfactant. After a brief overview of the different techniques, the obtained results are discussed with an emphasis on the limits and the complementarity of these techniques.