Measurement of profiles along a circle on two flat surfaces by use of a Fizeau interferometer with no standard

A method for measuring profiles along a circle on a flat surface with no standard is described. For the measurement, two unknown surfaces are placed almost parallel, and the distance between them is measured many times along a circle by rotation of one of the surfaces. Profiles of the two surfaces can be determined from the distance data. In this study the measuring method is explained: The space between two surfaces measured with a Fizeau interferometer. Four measuring experiments are carried out for determining the profile of a precision-grade half-mirror; in each experiment a different ordinary mirror with unknown profile is used as the second mirror. Profiles of the precise mirrors obtained by these experiments agree closely, with deviations of approximately 2 nm. A similar experiment with many concentric circles was carried out with a precise half-mirror and another precise mirror. Although the profiles of many concentric circles were independent of one another, the result shows that the high-frequency component of a whole plane can be estimated.     

非球面表面形状的线测量技术

描述了一种在超精密磨削机床上基于误差分离法的非球面表面形状精密测量系统.首先,论述了一般用于平面形状测量的两点法不能直接用于非球面形状测量的原因在于测头的设置误差会引起很大的形状测量误差.提出了先通过两点法测量平面形状得出机床的运动误差,然后对测量非球面形状的另外一个测头的输出进行补偿以得出正确的非球面形状.用此系统测量了一个直径为30 mm的非球面镜头的表面形状.     

激光三角测头的动态仿形跟踪扫描

对非接触式三坐标测量机仿形跟踪快速扫描方法进行了研究,分析了曲面仿形跟踪扫瞄过程中的关键技术。针对基于激光非接触测量的仿形跟踪扫瞄,提出一种确定扫描速度及跟动速度的计算方法。利用该方法对变截面回转体进行测量,其各个径向尺寸精度可达±5μm,且测量速度是接触式三坐标测量机的3倍,验证了该方法的有效性,较好地解决了自由曲面高速、高精度仿形跟踪测量的问题。     

Surface gradient integrated profiler for X-ray and EUV optics

A new ultraprecise profiler has been developed to measure, for example, asymmetric and aspheric profiles. The principle of our measuring method is that the normal vector at each point on the surface is determined by making the incident light beam on the mirror surface and the reflected beam at that point of coincident. The gradient at each point is calculated from the normal vector, and the surface profile is then obtained by integrating the gradients. The measuring instrument was designed in accordance with the above principle. In the design, four ultraprecise goniometers were applied to adjust the light axis for normal vector measurement. The angle-positioning resolution and accuracy of each goniometer are, respectively, 0.018 and 0.2 μrad. Thus, in the measuring instrument, the most important factor is the accuracy of the normal vectors measured by the goniometers. Therefore, the rotating angle-positioning errors were measured and calibrated. An elliptical profile mirror for nanometer hard-X-ray focusing was measured, and compared with the measured profile using a stitching interferometer. The absolute measurement accuracy of approximately 5 nm (peak-to-valley) was achieved. Then the measurements of 1000-mm-long flat, spherical and parabolic mirrors were demonstrated. The surface profiles of the mirrors were obtained by integrating the interpolated gradient.     

Laser beam intensity profile transformation with a fabricated mirror

A nonaxisymmetric mirror is designed by the same method as a computer-generated hologram for laser beam intensity profile transformation and is fabricated by plasma chemical vaporization machining. We successfully transformed a circular Gaussian beam of a He-Ne laser into a rectangular uniform beam maintaining spatial coherence and using a nonaxisymmetric surface profile mirror. There are ripples in the intensity profile of the transformed rectangular beam. These ripples in the intensity profile result from small ripples on the mirror surface. These results show that we can perform coordinate transformation using these fabricated mirrors, which has so far been possible only by using computer-generated holograms.     

Adaptive control of a micromachined continuous-membrane deformable mirror for aberration compensation

The nonlinear response and strong coupling of control channels in micromachined membrane deformable mirror (MMDM) devices make it difficult for one to control the MMDM to obtain the desired mirror surface shapes. A closed-loop adaptive control algorithm is developed for a continuous-surface MMDM used for aberration compensation. The algorithm iteratively adjusts the control voltages of all electrodes to reduce the variance of the optical wave front measured with a Hartmann-Shack wave-front sensor. Zernike polynomials are used to represent the mirror surface shape as well as the optical wave front. An adaptive experimental system to compensate for the wave-front aberrations of a model eye has been built in which the developed adaptive mirror-control algorithm is used to control a deformable mirror with 19 active channels. The experimental results show that the algorithm can adaptively update control voltages to generate an optimum continuous mirror surface profile, compensating for the aberrations within the operating range of the deformable mirror.     

Digital holographic profilometry of the inner surface of a pipe using a current-induced wavelength change of a laser diode

Phase-shifting digital holography is applied to the measurement of the surface profile of the inner surface of a pipe for the detection of a hole in its wall. For surface contouring of the inner wall, a two-wavelength method involving an injection-current-induced wavelength change of a laser diode is used. To illuminate and obtain information on the inner surface, a cone-shaped mirror is set inside the pipe and moved along in a longitudinal direction. The distribution of a calculated optical path length in an experimental alignment is used to compensate for the distortion due to the misalignment of the mirror in the pipe. Using the proposed method, two pieces of metal sheet pasted on the inner wall of the pipe and a hole in the wall are detected. This shows that the three-dimensional profile of a metal plate on the inner wall of a pipe can be measured using simple image processing.     

Influence of Layup and Curing on the Surface Accuracy in the Manufacturing of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Composite Space Mirrors

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer, CFRP, composite materials have been used to fabricate space mirror. Usually the composite space mirror can completely replicate the high-precision surface of mould by replication process, but the actual surface accuracy of replicated space mirror is always reduced, still needed further study. We emphatically studied the error caused by layup and curing on the surface accuracy of space mirror through comparative experiments and analyses, the layup and curing influence factors include curing temperature, cooling rate of curing, method of prepreg lay-up, and area weight of fiber. Focusing on the four factors, we analyzed the error influence rule and put forward corresponding control measures to improve the surface figure of space mirror. For comparative analysis, six CFRP composite mirrors were fabricated and surface profile of mirrors were measured. Four guiding control measures were described here. Curing process of composite space mirror is our next focus.     

Generation of Bessel beams using a magnetic liquid deformable mirror

A deformable mirror made of a magnetic liquid has been used to produce conical surfaces with subwavelength (λ/4) accuracy. The surface profile of the liquid mirror is controlled by 91 small magnetic coils. The mirror exhibits a linear response with respect to the currents driving the coils, and it allows for real-time changes of its surface profile. The magnetic liquid deformable mirror has been used to produce reflected beams having a conical wavefront; the propagation of the reflected beams was verified to be consistent with that of Bessel beams in the near and far field. The large dynamic range of such a deformable mirror has made it possible to generate Bessel beams with a broad range of beam parameters.     

Optimum control of the laser beam intensity profile with a deformable mirror

A new deformable mirror control system is developed. This system consists of a deformable mirror, a CCD camera, an image processor, a computer, and actuator drive power supplies. A genetic algorithm is adopted as a control algorithm to obtain an optimum surface profile of the deformable mirror. A circular cross-sectional Gaussian beam was transformed into a beam with a rectangular contour using this system. Although the transfer function of this system is complicated and unknown, this system can be used to obtain the optimum beam profile within the achievable limits of a deformable mirror.     

Surface contouring by optical edge projection based on a continuous wavelet transform

A novel optical edge projection method for surface contouring of an object with low reflectivity is presented. A structured light edge is projected onto a dark surface, and the image is captured by a CCD camera. The surface profile of the object is then evaluated by an active triangular projection technique, and a whole-field three-dimensional contour of the object is obtained by scanning the optical edge over the entire object surface. An edge detection method based on a continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is employed to determine the location of the optical edge. The method of optical edge detection is described, and characteristic details of gray-level distribution along the edge are analyzed. It is shown that the proposed wavelet edge detection method is not dependent on any threshold values; hence the true edge position can be determined without subjective selection. A black low-reflectivity object surface made from woven carbon fiber is measured, and the experimental results show that the profile of a woven carbon fiber can be obtained by the proposed method.     

Precise measuring method for detecting the in situ distortion profile of a high-heat-load mirror for synchrotron radiation by use of a pentaprism long trace profiler

A precise measuring method for detecting the in situ distortion profile of a high-heat-load mirror for synchrotron radiation by use of a pentaprism long trace profiler (LTP) is presented. A maximum distortion of 0.47 microm across a length of 180 mm was measured for an internally water-cooled mirror on an undulator beam line at ELETTRA while exposed to a total emitted power of 600 W. This first successfully tested in situ distortion profile points out the importance and need for this method. Two configurations for performing in situ LTP tests are discussed. For this measurement the configuration with all the equipment external to the vacuum chamber was used. The experiment has an accuracy and a repeatability of 0.04 microm. Suggestions for improving the accuracy and stability are presented.     

Quantitative thermometry of nanoscale hot spots

A method is described to quantify thermal conductance and temperature distributions with nanoscale resolution using scanning thermal microscopy. In the first step, the thermal resistance of the tip-surface contact is measured for each point of a surface. In the second step, the local temperature is determined from the difference between the measured heat flux for heat sources switched on and off. The method is demonstrated using self-heating of silicon nanowires. While a homogeneous nanowire shows a bell-shaped temperature profile, a nanowire diode exhibits a hot spot centered near the junction between two doped segments.     

Utilization of frequency information in a linear wavenumber-scanning interferometer for profile measurement of a thin film

The positions of the front and rear surfaces of a silicon dioxide film with 4 μm thickness is measured with a novel and simple method in which both amplitude and phase of a sinusoidal wave signal corresponding to one optical path difference of a reflecting surface is utilized in a linear wavenumber-scanning interferometer. For this utilization, the scanning width and the position of the reference mirror are adjusted exactly to distinguish the two sinusoidal waves corresponding to the two surfaces of the film. The scanning width of the wavenumber and wavelength of the light source are 0.326×10(-3) nm(-1) and 140 nm, respectively.     

跟踪式偏振光三角法测头

针对三角法测量的不足,设计了一种跟踪式偏振光三角法测头。对三角测量法的理论分析表明减小测量范围能提高测量精度。测头结合表面跟踪方法与三角测量法,跟踪使测量范围不受限制;仅在小范围内进行三角法测量,测量精度大大提高。对金属表面的反射特性进行了分析和推导,得出镜面反射与漫反射具有不同的偏振特性。通过偏振滤光减少了镜面反射光对测量的影响,从而降低了对被测表面材质的要求。本文给出了测头结构和工作原理。试验表明,测头能测量镜面反射较强的金属表面,测头可自动跟踪表面,并可结合测距仪实现表面形状的高精度测量。     

Nonscanning measurements for determining in-plane mode shapes in piezoelectric devices with polished surfaces

A nonmechanical scanning method has been developed for the visualization of the in-plane mode shapes of piezoelectric devices with polished surfaces. By taking into account the reflection versus laser-wavelength characteristics of the material of the electrodes, the in-plane motion can be measured even if the surface of the measurement plane is polished like a mirror. This method is based on laser speckle interference and two-dimensional correlation filtering that effectively enhance the mode-shape visualization for bulk and surface acoustic wave devices. Although this method cannot directly measure absolute displacement, the simple measurement system and high speed measurement more than offset this disadvantage. The experimental results for fundamental thickness-shear and nearby inharmonic modes in a bimesa-shaped rectangular AT-cut quartz resonator have been presented. The results of the experiments and the analyses obtained by the three-dimensional finite element analyses correlate well and show the advantages and validity of the proposed technique.     

Form-Profiling of Optics Using the Geometry Measuring Machine and the M-48 CMM at NIST

We are developing an instrument, the Geometry Measuring Machine (GEMM), to measure the profile errors of aspheric and free form optical surfaces, with measurement uncertainties near 1 nm. Using GEMM, an optical profile is reconstructed from local curvatures of a surface, which are measured at points on the optic’s surface. We will describe a prototype version of GEMM, its repeatability with time, a measurements registry practice, and the calibration practice needed to make nanometer resolution comparisons with other instruments. Over three months, the repeatability of GEMM is 3 nm rms, and is based on the constancy of the measured profile of an elliptical mirror with a radius of curvature of about 83 m. As a demonstration of GEMM’s capabilities for curvature measurement, profiles of that same mirror were measured with GEMM and the NIST Moore M-48 coordinate measuring machine. Although the methods are far different, two reconstructed profiles differ by 22 nm peak-to-valley, or 6 nm rms. This comparability clearly demonstrates that with appropriate calibration, our prototype of the GEMM can measure complex-shaped optics.     

Analysis of a scanning pentaprism system for measurements of large flat mirrors

The optical surface of a large optical flat can be measured using an autocollimator and scanning pentaprism system. The autocollimator measures the slope difference between a point on the mirror and a reference point. Such a system was built and previously operated at the University of Arizona. We discuss refinements that were made to the hardware, the alignment procedure, and the error analysis. The improved system was demonstrated with a 1.6 m flat mirror, which was measured to be flat to 12 nm rms. The uncertainty in the measurement is only 9 nm rms.     

Improvements in the accuracy and the repeatability of long trace profiler measurements

Modifications of the long trace profiler at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory have significantly improved its accuracy and repeatability for measuring the figure of large flat and long-radius mirrors. Use of a Dove prism in the reference beam path corrects phasing problems between mechanical errors and thermally induced system errors. A single reference correction now completely removes both of these error signals from the measured surface profile. The addition of a precision air conditioner keeps the temperature in the metrology enclosure constant to within +/-0.1 degrees C over a 24-h period and has significantly improved the stability and the repeatability of the measurements. Long-radius surface curvatures can now be measured absolutely with a high degree of confidence. These improved capabilities are illustrated with a series of measurements of a 500-mm-long mirror with a 5-km radius of curvature. The standard deviation in the average of ten slope profile scans is 0.3 microrad, and the corresponding standard deviation in the height error is 4.6 nm.     

High-speed framing camera with an ellipsoidal scanner

A new type of rotating-mirror framing-camera optical system is proposed. A study is reported of the feasibility of the use of an aspherical mirror, with its surface in the shape of a prolate ellipsoid of revolution, in the scanning system of the camera. Starting from the aberration minimization conditions, the optimization of the parameters of the optical system is carried out. An aspherical mirror of this kind performs not only the scanning function, but also acts as a condenser, thus greatly simplifying construction of the camera.