A Reflected-Light-Mode Multiwavelength Interferometer for Measurement of Step Height Standards

Abstract

The article is dedicated to measuring the thickness of step height standards using the author’s version of the variable wavelength interferometer (VAWI) in the reflected-light mode, where the interference pattern is created by the combination of two Wollaston prisms. The element of novelty consists in replacing the traditional search for the coincidence of fringes in the object and background with a continuous measurement of their periods and phases relative to the zero-order fringe. The resulting system of sinusoids is then analyzed using two methods: the classical one and the second utilizing the criterion of uniform thickness. The theory is followed by simulation and experimental parts, providing insight to the metrological potential of the VAWI technology.

Keywords

• interferometry
• variable wavelength interferometry
• multiwavelength interferometer
• waveplate
• refractive index
• Wollaston prism