Surface characterization by structure function analysis

Abstract

The structure function is a tool for characterizing technical surfaces which exhibits a number of advantages over Fourier-based analysis methods. So it is optimally suited for analyzing the height distributions of surfaces measured by full-field non-contacting methods. After the definition of line- and area-structure function and offering effective procedures for their calculation this tutorial paper presents examples using simulated and measured data of machined surfaces as well as optical components. Comparisons with the results of Fourier-based evaluations clearly prove the advantages of structure function analysis.

Keywords

• surface measurement
• surface representation
• structure function
• digital signal analysis