Sinusoidal wavelength-scanning interferometer with a superluminescent diode for step-profile measurement

A halogen lamp and an acousto-optic tunable filter are used to construct a sinusoidal wavelength-scanning interferometer with the scanning width of 210 nm. A linear wavelength-scanning with the scanning width of 220 nm is utilized to determine amplitudes of three different interference signals produced from multiple-reflection lights by front and rear surfaces of a thin film. Amplitudes of time-varying phases produced by a sinusoidal wavelength-scanning and constant phases in the interference signals are estimated by minimizing a difference between detected signals and theoretical ones. From the estimated values, the positions of the front and rear surface of the thin film with a thickness of about 460 nm are measured with an error less than 4 nm.

A theoretical analysis of the measurement accuracy in sinusoidal phase modulating (SPM) interferometry is presented. The measurement accuracy is dependent on multiplicative and additive noise. The characteristics of SPM interferometry in the presence of this noise are made clear. Theoretical results show clearly that SPM interferometry has a high measurement accuracy of the order of 1 nm.

Recently, laser interferometry is widely used as a measuring system in many fields because of its high resolution and its ability to measure a broad area in real-time all at once. In conventional laser interferometry, for example Out-of-plane ESPI (Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry), In plane ESPI, Shearography and Holography, it uses PZT or other components as a phase shift instrumentation to extract 3-D deformation data, vibration mode and others. However, in most cases PZT has some disadvantages, which include nonlinear errors and limited time of use. In the present study, a new type of laser interferometry using a laser diode is proposed. Using Laser Diode Sinusoidal Phase Modulating (LD-SPM) interferometry, the phase modulation can be directly modulated by controlling the laser diode injection current thereby eliminating the need for PZT and its components. This makes the interferometry more compact.

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.

This paper presents a non-contact, optical metrology system that allows to measure the pistons and tip/tilt angles of a compact-sized, flat segmented mirror, with nanometer resolution, from a long working distance of a few meters. The system is developed in the scope of the APE project (Active Phasing Experiment), and will be installed on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). It will serve for two purposes: (1) as the sensor within the closed loop control of the mirror segments, and (2) as internal reference metrology to qualify the accuracy of different types of phasing cameras that will be developed and tested within the scope of the APE project. The sensor is based on the concept on instantaneous phase shifting, low-coherence, dual wavelength interferometry. By simultaneously acquiring four interferograms at phase shifts of 90° the system is inherently very insensitive to vibrations. Working at two wavelengths allows absolute distance measurements within the range of half the synthetic wavelength, i.e. in our case within a range of about 25 μm. The concept of low coherence interferometry avoids phase contributions of parasitic reflections and speckle effects. The low coherent light sources are two superluminescent diodes emitting at visible (red) wavelengths with coherence lengths in the range of 25 μm that can be increased by spectral filtering. Dual wavelengths measurements are performed at a rate of 20 Hz. The targeted accuracy is better than 5 nm rms (wavefront). The paper starts with a description of the system architecture. The different subsystems (light source, interferometer core with phase modulator and signal decoder, computer) are discussed. After having presented the optical design, the paper provides a closer look to the measurement and calibration algorithms. Finally, the paper presents the experimental setup and the first fringes obtained in the laboratory.

A simplified algorithm for digital fringe analysis in two-wave interferometry with sinusoidal phase modulation

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.

A two-wavelength sinusoidal phase-modulating (SPM) laser diode (LD) interferometer for nanometer accuracy measurement is proposed. To eliminate the error caused by the intensity modulation, the SPM depth of the interference signal is chosen appropriately by varying the amplitude of the modulation current periodically. Then, the refine theory is induced to the measurement, and the two-wavelength interferometer (TWI) is combined with the single-wavelength LD interferometric technique to realize static displacement measurement with nanometer accuracy. Experimental results indicate that a static displacement measurement accuracy of 5 nm can be achieved over a range of 200 \mu m.

Summary form only given. Broadband operation of a gain-switched Ti:sapphire laser with good beam quality is presented as a function of resonator and pump parameters. This new light source links low temporal coherence and high spatial coherence and can be used as a suitable and simple light source in optical coherence radar measurements. This method is based on white-light interferometry and allows the measurement of the shape and the roughness of optical rough three-dimensional objects without contact or destruction. Conventional light sources like superluminescent diodes or lamps provide too low brightness for large or dark objects in optical coherence radar measurements. Fast tunable lasers or mode-locked lasers are too complex and expensive to be applied in commercial devices for this application. Therefore we set up this simple laser, which emits a broad emission spectrum with high beam quality and high output power.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an emerging technology for high-resolution cross-sectional imaging of 3D structures. Not only could OCT extract the internal features of an object, but it could acquire the 3D profile of an object as well. Hence it has huge potentials for industrial applications. Owing to non-scanning along the X-Y axis, full-field OCT could be the simplest and most economic imaging system, especially for applications where the speed is critical. For an OCT system, the performance and cost basically depends on the light source being used. The broader the source bandwidth, the finer of the depth resolution that could be reached; the more power of the source, the better signal-to-noise ratio and the deeper of penetration the system achieves. A typical SLD (Superluminescent Diode) light source has a bandwidth of 15 nm and 10 mW optical power at a price around $6,000. However, a Halogen bulb having 50W power and 200nm bandwidth only costs less than $10. The design and implementation of a large-area, full-field OCT system using Halogen white-light source is described in the paper. The experimental results obtained from 3D shaping and multiple-layer tomographies are also presented.

A high-power (20-mW) broadband (21-nm-FWHM) 1.55- mu m light source with small spectral modulation depth has been achieved by amplifying the output of a superluminescent diode (SLD) with an Er-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). These characteristics are desirable for fiber gyroscope applications. The twin fluorescence peak problem is solved by operating the EDFA in the saturated region with an injected SLD signal.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

We have studied the possibility of improving the performance, simplifying, and reducing the cost of a double-pass system by the use of alternative technologies. The system for correcting the spherical correction has been based on a focusable electro-optical lens, and a recording device based on CMOS technology and a superluminescent diode (SLED) light source have been evaluated separately. The suitability of the CMOS camera has been demonstrated, while the SLED could not break the speckle by itself. The final experimental setup, consisting of a CMOS camera and a laser diode, has been compared with a commercial double-pass system, proving its usefulness for ocular optical quality and scattering measurements. (C) 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Relative intensity noise (RIN) is one of the most significant factors limiting the sensitivity of an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. The existing and prevalent theory being used for estimating RIN for various light sources in OCT is questionable, and cannot be applied uniformly for different types of sources. The origin of noise in various sources differs significantly, owing to the different physical nature of photon generation. In this study, we characterize and compare RIN of several OCT light sources including superluminescent diodes (SLDs), an erbium-doped fiber amplifier, multiplexed SLDs, and a continuous-wave laser. We also report a method for reduction of RIN by amplifying the SLD light output by using a gain-saturated semiconductor optical amplifier.

The strong relationship of refractive index of a material with wavelengths dates back to more than a century especially where Sellmeier’s equation was invented by Wolfgang Sellmeier in 1871 and then developed by Cauchy for visible region of electromagnetic waves. In this work, we studied the interchangeability of Cauchy constants A and B for a glass prism by using inert gas light sources such as He and Ne and metal vapor light sources as Hg, Cd, HgCd, and Na. Cauchy formula represents this dependence where A and B are Cauchy constants and their value are harmonically interchangeable. We investigated that each light sources have a different value of A and B and does not follow the same pattern of graphical representation. From this result, one can notice that Cauchy constants have a crucial role on this dependence of refractive indices on the wavelength of the light sources. The novelty of this work is the combination of Geometrical Optics and Wave Optics, then formulating a new equation, which is exactly geometrical measurements.

Coherence properties of light sources are indispensable for optical coherence microscopy/tomography as they greatly influence the signal-to-noise ratio, axial resolution, and penetration depth of the system. In the present paper, we report the investigation of longitudinal spatial coherence properties of a pseudothermal light source (PTS) as a function of the laser spot size at the rotating diffuser plate. The laser spot size is varied by translating a microscope objective lens toward or away from the diffuser plate. The longitudinal spatial coherence length, which governs the axial resolution of the coherence microscope, is found to be minimum for the beam spot size of 3.5 mm at the diffuser plate. The axial resolution of the system is found to be equal to an $\sim{13}\,\,{\rm \unicode{x00B5}{\rm m}}$∼13µm at 3.5 mm beam spot size. The change in the axial resolution of the system is confirmed by performing the experiments on standard gauge blocks of a height difference of 15 µm by varying the spot size at the diffuser plate. Thus, by appropriately choosing the beam spot size at the diffuser plane, any monochromatic laser light source can be utilized to obtain high axial resolution irrespective of the source's temporal coherence length. It can provide speckle-free tomographic images of multilayered biological specimens with large penetration depth. In addition, a PTS avoids the use of any chromatic-aberration-corrected optics and dispersion-compensation mechanism unlike conventional setups.