Abstract

One of the more favorable candidates for determining the microtopography of optical surfaces is the interference microscope. This instrument combines the basic functions of a microscope with those of an interferometer. The microscope, which provides a high numerical aperture and thus excellent resolving power, is modified to operate as an interferometer enabling the acquisition of phase information about the surface under examination. This phase information can easily be translated into surface height information. Using phase-modulated interferometric techniques, it becomes possible to obtain very good vertical height resolution along with an excellent lateral resolution, which is provided by the microscope objective. Interference microscopes provide a quick, non-contact, and very repeatable way of measuring optical surface profiles.

© 1987 Optical Society of America