  We report the creation of Ge$_2$Sb$_2$Te$_5$ metasurfaces on sapphire
substrates by the ablation method and the study of their structural properties
by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and
optical diffraction. The main emphasis is on the optical technique, which boils
down to obtaining bright Laue diffraction patterns on a screen, observing them
with the naked eye, and analyzing the fine structure of diffraction
reflections. It has been demonstrated that in one simple optical experiment it
is possible to assess the quality of fabricated metasurfaces, determine the
structure symmetry, and, moreover, determine the number of structural elements
and lattice constants of the micron-sized metasurface. The accuracy of the
optical technique is confirmed by comparison with the results of studies by SEM
and AFM methods.
