Dynamic surface roughness profiler

A dynamic profiler is presented that is capable of precision measurement of surface roughness in the presence of significant vibration or motion. Utilizing a special CCD camera incorporating a micro-polarizer array and a proprietary LED source, quantitative measurements were obtained with exposure times of <100 μsec. The polarization-based interferometer utilizes an adjustable input polarization state to optimize fringe contrast and signal to noise for measurement of optical surfaces ranging in reflectivity from 1 to 100%. A new phase calculation algorithm is presented that nearly eliminates phase-dependent errors resulting in shot noise limited performance. In addition to its vibration immunity, the system’s light weight, <5 kg, compact envelope, 24 x 24 x 8 cm, integrated alignment system, and multiple mounting options facilitate use both directly resting on large optical surfaces and directly mounted to polishing equipment, stands, gantries and robots. Measurement results presented show an RMS repeatability <0.005 nm and an RMS precision < 0.1nm which are achieved without active vibration isolation.