We have developed a computer-controlled coherence probe microscope which can rapidly and accurately map the shape of micro-machined surfaces exhibiting steps and discontinuities. The instrument uses white-light and scans the object in height. The novel feature of the instrument is the use of an achromatic phase-shifter operating on the principle of geometric phase to evaluate the fringe visibility directly for each point on the object. This allows location of the position of the visibility peak along the scanning axis, yielding the height of the surface at the corresponding points.

Date Published: 19 July 1999
PDF: 2 pages
Proc. SPIE 3749, 18th Congress of the International Commission for Optics, (19 July 1999); doi: 10.1117/12.354836

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3749:
18th Congress of the International Commission for Optics
Alexander J. Glass; Joseph W. Goodman; Milton Chang; Arthur H. Guenther; Toshimitsu Asakura, Editor(s)