Synthetic aperture interferometry: in-process measurement of aspheric optics

A scanning probe consisting of a source and receive fiber pair is used to measure the phase difference between wave fronts scattered from the front and rear surfaces of an aspheric optic. This system can be thought of as a classical interferometer with an aperture synthesized from the data collected along the path of the probe. If the form of either surface is known, the other can be deduced. In contrast with classical interferometers, the method does not need test or null plates and has the potential to be integrated into the manufacturing process.