Measurement of thin film shape with a sinusoidal wavelength scanning interferometer using a white light source

Sinusoidal wavelength-scanning (SWS) interferometry is unique in that a time-varying interference signal contains phase-modulation amplitude Zb due to the SWS besides a conventional phase &agr;. A rough value of an optical path difference (OPD) longer than a wavelength is obtained from the amplitude Zb, which is useful for shape measurements of rough surfaces. By combing the two values of Zb and &agr;, an OPD longer than a wavelength can be measured with a high accuracy of the order of nanometer, which is useful for shape measurements of optical surfaces. As light sources of SWS interferometers a tunable laser diode with an external cavity is used and a superluminescent diode (SLD) is used with an acousto-optic tunable filter. A shape of a metal surface, a step shape of an optical surface, and a thin-film shape of optical surfaces are measured.

Two different sinusoidal wavelength-scanning (SWS) interferometers with a SWS light source using a superluminescent laser diode are proposed for step-profile measurement and real-time distance measurement, respectively. An optical path difference (OPD) longer than a wavelength is measured from detection of sinusoidal phase- modulation amplitude Zb of the interference signal that is proportional to the OPD and the scanning width 2b. In step-profile measurement, if measurement error in the OPD obtained from Zb is smaller than a half wavelength, this measured value of the OPD is combined with a fractional value of the OPD obtained from the conventional phase of the interference signal. This combination enables us to measure the OPD longer than a wavelength with a high accuracy of a few nm. In real-time distance measurement, the amplitude Zb is kept at a specified constant value for changes of OPD by controlling the scanning width 2b of the wavelength with a feedback system. The amplitude Zb is detected by processing the interference signal with electric circuits in real-time. The value of b is easily controlled in the SWS light source, and an OPD longer than a wavelength is measured from the value of b with an accuracy of about a wavelength.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

In sinusoidal phase-modulating interferometry an optical path length (OPD) larger than a wavelength is measured by detection of sinusoidal phase-modulation amplitude Z(b) of the interference signal that is produced by sinusoidal scanning of the wavelength of a light source. A light source with a large scanning width of wavelength is created by use of a superluminescent laser diode for the error in the measured value obtained by Z(b) to be smaller than half of the central wavelength. In this situation the measured value can be combined with a fractional value of the OPD obtained from the conventional phase of the interference signal. A sinusoidal wavelength-scanning interferometer with the light source measures an OPD over a few tens of micrometers with a high accuracy of a few nanometers.

In this paper, as far as we know, it is the first time that a novel acousto-optic pure rotational Raman lidar based on acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) is put forward for the application of atmospheric temperature measurements. AOTF is employed in the novel lidar system as narrow band-pass filter and high-speed single-channel wavelength scanner. This new acousto-optic filtering technique can solve the problems of conventional pure rotational Raman lidar, e.g., low temperature detection sensitivity, untunability of filtering parameters, and signal interference between different detection channels. This paper will focus on the PRRS physical model calculation and simulation optimization of system parameters such as the central wavelengths and the bandwidths of filtering operation, and the required sensitivity. The theoretical calculations and optimization of AOTF spectral filtering parameters are conducted to achieve high temperature dependence and sensitivity, high signal intensities, high temperature of filtered spectral passbands, and adequate blocking of elastic Mie and Rayleigh scattering signals. The simulation results can provide suitable proposal and theroetical evaluation before the integration of a practical Raman lidar system.

We investigated a fiber-based multimode interference phenomenon in the wavelength domain by using a white light source and an optical spectrum analyzer. This phenomenon was produced by a larger-core optical fiber joined at both ends with smaller-core optical fibers. We examined the variation of interference wavelength with changes in the length of the larger-core fiber. The interference wavelengths were blue-shifted and the interference signals were sharpened with an increase in the length of the larger-core fiber. The calculated results agreed well with the measured results. Next, we investigated how the input and output fibers with a small core influence the interference signal characteristics. By comparing the amplitude differences of the interference signal we find the conditions of input and output (I/O) fibers for higher sensitivity. In addition, an interference-signal shift was observed by changing the medium surrounding an multimode interference (MMI) structure. The amount of shift increased at a longer wavelength. This leads to the sensitive detection of the refractive index. Finally, a demonstration of the optical fiber refractometer with a multimode interference structure was given by refractive-index measurements of ethanol/water solutions.

A novel method to double the measurement range of wavelength scanning interferometery (WSI) is described. In WSI the measured optical path difference (OPD) is affected by a sign ambiguity, that is, from an interference signal it is not possible to distinguish whether the OPD is positive or negative. The sign ambiguity can be resolved by measuring an interference signal in quadrature. A method to obtain a quadrature interference signal for WSI is described, and a theoretical analysis of the advantages is reported. Simulations of the advantages of the technique and of signal errors due to nonideal quadrature are discussed. The analysis and simulation are supported by experimental measurements to show the improved performances.

As radio communication has progressed, reduction of intersystem interference has become a problem. In a conventional interference canceller, the interference signal as a source of cancellation is obtained at the receiving station and the interference component in the desired signal is canceled based on this interference signal. However, the interference signal for cancellation may not be obtained at the receiving station. As a remedy, an extraction and reinjection‐type interference canceller has already been proposed.In this paper, a pre‐interference canceller is proposed in which, if the transmitting station of the desired signal and that of the interference signal are identical, the interference signal is mixed with the desired signal from the transmitting station beforehand and the interference signal leaking into the desired signal is cancelled at the receiving station.First, the applicable range and the fundamental configuration of the present canceller are presented. Subsequently, the method for determining the amplitude and phase of the interference signal injected into the desired signal of the transmitting station and the method for evaluation of the cancellation effect are presented theoretically.Next, an experiment is carried out with the desired signal of 16 QAM or 256 QAM and the interference signal of 256 QAM. Interference improvement by about 20 dB is obtained for both the 16 and 256 QAM signals. Also, the response speed of control for the fading is 60 ms. In addition to the validity of the theoretical results, effectiveness of the proposed canceller is shown.

The idea of improving the methods of processing the received radio signals used in radio communication and radiolocation systems is considered. It is proposed to consider the radio signal as a noise-resistant code with repetition of its periods (symbols), each of which carries the same information about the value of its amplitude and initial phase. The possibility of realization of coherent reception of radio signals with amplitude or biphasic discrete modulation under the influence of powerful noise on them by their most "reliable" (suitable for calculations) fragments, determined by the values of samples, received at moments when the amplitude of a received signal shall be equal to zero (samples correspond to the value of the noise component – point A) or be maximum – point E (the phase of signals shifted with respect to the phase of noise, by π/2 or 3π/4). The considered approach on processing of a mix of a signal and noise allows to define some varieties of "reliable" fragments (at difference of phases of noise and a signal on π/2 or 3π/4, at a match of zero values of signals and noise, at difference of phases of noise and a signal on the value smaller, than ±π/24) on values of samples in points A and E, and also to exclude from consideration fragments, decision on which often is erroneous. The possibility of obtaining an additional estimation ∆ of the quality of the decision on a fragment of a discrete signal (BPSK), with already calculated its average value SСР on the set of its fragments, which allows to select the best or several best fragments for the decision on the received signal is shown. Fragments with a difference of noise and signal phases on the value smaller than ±π/24 occur most often from all considered variants and allow to distinguish with high accuracy the initial phases of opposite signals (BPSK). To solve the problem, we used all possible temporal representations of fragments of signal, noise and a mixture of signal and noise, mathematical models and formulas of the theory of circuits and signals.

The surface flatness and the uniformity in thickness and refractive index of a mask-blank glass have been requested in semiconductor industry. The absolute optical thickness of a mask-blank glass of seven-inch square and 3mm thickness was measured by three-surface interferom etry in a wavelength tuning Fizeau interferometer. Wavelength-tuning interferometry can separate in freq uency space the three interference signals of the surface shape and the optical thickness. The wavelength of a tunable laser diode source was scanned linearly from 632 nm to 642 nm and a CCD detector recorded two thousand interference images. The number of phase variation of the interference fringes during the wavelength scanning was counted by a temporal discrete Fourier transform. The initial and final phases of the interferograms before and after the scanning were measured by a phase shifting technique with fine tunings of the wavelengths at 632 nm and 642 nm. The optical thickness defined by the group refractive index at the central wavelength of 337 nm can be measured by this technique. Experimental results show that the cross talk in multiple-surface interferometry caused a systematic error of 2.0 microns in the measured optical thickness. Keywords: Phase measurement, absolute optical path difference, wavelength scanning, optical thickness distribution measurement, phase shift, Fizeau interferometer

Portable radiometers are commonly used in remote sensing applications for studying vegetation, soil, minerals, etc. However, we propose and demonstrate, for the first time, the applicability of this radiometer for high-resolution in situ band gap measurements of materials. The excitation source can be any white light source such as sun or tungsten halogen lamp. The flexibility in sample size and relative ease of varying temperature during measurements add to the advantages of using a portable radiometer for investigating new materials. Accurate measurements were made on standard samples of silicon, germanium, and gallium antimonide to demonstrate the feasibility of this technique.

We consider waveform design for colocated multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) radar systems where the signal phase is subject to random phase perturbations during propagation. We formulate an iterative algorithm to obtain both waveform parameters and the space-time adaptive weights to maximize the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). We ensure that the impact of the chosen waveforms on the interference signal is accounted for when modeling the second-order interference statistics. The waveform design technique is then extended to include peak-to-average power constraints. An example of a clutter and target model is provided to show how the optimal waveform design improves radar detection performance in the presence of the signal phase randomization.

Analysis of optical and thermal properties of thermally oxidized mesoporous silicon layers

A fiber-optic sinusoidal phase modulating (SPM) interferometer was proposed for the acquisition and reconstruction of three-dimensional (3-D) surface profile. Sinusoidal phase modulation was induced by controlling the injection current of light source. The surface profile was constructed on the basis of fringe projection. Fringe patterns are vulnerable to external disturbances such as mechanical vibration and temperature fluctuation, which cause phase drift in the interference signal and decrease measuring accuracy. A closed-loop feedback phase compensation system was built. In the subsystem, the initial phase of the interference signal, which was caused by the initial optical path difference between interference arms, could be demodulated using phase generated carrier (PGC) method and counted out using coordinated rotation digital computer (CORDIC) , then a compensation voltage was generated for the PZT driver. The bias value of external disturbances superimposed on fringe patterns could be reduced to about 50 mrad, and the phase stability for interference fringes was less than 6 mrad. The feasibility for real-time profile measurement has been verified.

We propose a new signal-processing method for eliminating measurement errors that occur in the wavelength-multiplexed phase-locked laser diode interferometer. The basic idea proposed here is a very simple but effective way to improve measurement accuracy. With our scheme, the phase in the interference signal is strictly shifted by 2pi, which enables us to eliminate measurement errors. The equivalent wavelength ? is 80 mm, and the measurement accuracy reaches ~?/600. A step-height measurement was also carried out in the experiment.

In order to eliminate the influence of laser frequency nonlinearity, the frequency-scanning interferometry (FSI) often uses the beat signal of an auxiliary interferometer as the external clock. The time points at every amplitude peaks and bottoms of the auxiliary beat signal are selected as the sampling time points for the main interferometer signal. To satisfy the Nyquist sampling requirement, the optical path difference (OPD) of the delay fiber in auxiliary interferometer should be at least twice longer than the measurement distance. In this paper, we proposed a method to shorten the length of delay fiber. The Hilbert transform was used to extract the phase of the auxiliary interference signal and calculate the time points corresponding to subdivided phase intervals. Then, the main interference signal was resampled at these moments, and the fast Fourier transform was performed on the resampled signal. The experimental results showed that the target at the distance of about 5 m was measured when the OPD of the auxiliary interferometer was about 4.5 m. The standard deviation of the distance measurement results could reach 4.64 μm.