• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.316-326
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• 2000

A new signal processing algorithm for white light interferometry has been proposed and investigated theoretically. The goal of the algorithm is to determine the absolute optical path length of an interferometer with very high precision (<< one optical wavelength). The algorithm features cross-correlation of interferometer fringe scans and hypothesis testing. The hypothesis test looks for a zero order fringe peak candidate about which the cross-correlation is symmetric minimizing the uncertainty of misidentification. The shot noise limited performance of the proposed signal processing algorithm has been analyzed using computer simulations. Simulation results were extrapolated to predict the misidentification rate at Signal to-Shot noise ratio (SNR) higher than 31 dB. Root-mean-square phase error between the computer-generated zero order fringe peak and the estimated zero order fringe peak has been calculated for the changes of three different parameters (SNR, fringe scan sampling rate, coherence length of light source). Results of computer simulations showed the ability of the proposed signal processing algorithm to identify the zero order fringe peak correctly. The proposed signal processing algorithm uses a software approach, which is potentially inexpensive, simple and fast.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.357-362
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• 2010

The joint transform correlator (JTC) has been the best known technique for pattern recognition and identification. This paper proposes a new technique of fringe adjustment by adopting a sinusoidal amplitude-modulated iterative filter convolved with an interference fringe pattern in the joint power spectrum (JPS) domain. The comparison of our new technique and other techniques is presented to show that the newly proposed technique can successfully improve both the correlation peaks and the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). Simulated results of enhanced interference fringes are also presented.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.276-279
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• 2003

The phase change upon reflection from target surfaces in white-light interferometer induces measurement errors when target surfaces are composed of dissimilar materials. We prove that this phase change on reflection considered of the polarization of the white-light causes the shift of both envelope peak position and fringe peak position of several tens of nanometer. In addition, we propose a new equation of white-light interference fringe pertinent to the polarization of source.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.331-336
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• 2004

The phase change due to the reflection from target surfaces in a white-light interferometer induces measurement errors when target surfaces are composed of dissimilar materials. We prove that this phase change on reflection as the polarization of the white-light changes causes a shift of both envelope peak position and fringe peak position of several tens of nanometers as the polarization of the white-light changes. In addition, we propose a new equation for white-light interference fringes depending on the polarization of the source.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.80-86
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• 2001

This paper proposes a precision displacement measuring method of detecting fringe movement of interferograms with a nanometric resolution. It is well known that the laser interferometer plays a useful and essential role in scientific and industrial application, but they have such error sources as an unequal gain of detectors, imbalanced beams, and lack of quadrature. These error sources degrade the accuracy of the interferometer. However, the fringe movement of interferograms has little relation with these error sources. In order to investigate performance of the proposed method. analysis and simulation were executed over random noise and wavefront distorion. Results of the simulation show that the proposed method is robust against these errors. Experiment was implemented to verify this method.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.415-422
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• 2013

White-light phase-shifting interferometry (WLPSI) is widely recognized as a standard method to measure shapes with high resolution over a long distance. In practical applications, WLPSI, however, is associated with some degree of ambiguity of its phase, which occurs due to a phase delay, which is the offset between the phase of the fringes and the fringe envelope peak position. In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed for the determination of a fringe order suitable for samples in which the phase delay mainly occurs due to noise, diffraction and a steep angle. The concepts of the decouple factor and the connectivity are introduced and a method for calculating the decouple factor and the connectivity is developed. With the phase-unwrapping procedure which considers these values, it is demonstrated that our algorithm determines the correct fringe order. To verify the performance of the algorithm, a simulation was performed with the virtual step height under noise. Some specimens such as step height standard and a column spacer with a steep angle are also measured with a Mirau interference microscope, after which the algorithm is shown to be effective and robust.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.33-37
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• 2010

The joint transform correlator (JTC) has been the best known technique for pattern recognition and identification. The JTC optically compares the reference image with the sample image then examines match or non-match by acquiring a correlation peak. However, the JTC technique has some problems such as weak correlation discrimination and noise which originates from the interference fringes in the Fourier transform plane. In order to solve these problems, this paper proposes a new technique of modifications of the interference fringes by adopting special iterative filters. Experimental results are presented to show that the proposed technique can successfully improve the correlation peaks and the level of discrimination.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.362-370
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• 2001

We prove that 3-D profile mapping using white light interferometry has systematic errors caused by aberrations of the optimal system. The tilt of an object invokes an offset between the object and the reference ray, which eventually makes the aberration cancel incompletely. The fringe peak of a white light interferogram is mainly affected by the aberration effect while the envelope peak remains stable. By the difference between the two peaks, it is easily confirmed how much the error existed in the fringe peak. Experimental results prove that the error caused by aberration is varied by object tilt, microscope NA, optics alignment within the range of $\pm$50nm.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.319-325
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• 2005

A signal processing method for white light interferometry (WLI), which performs a series of analog signal processing steps to locate the central interference fringe position at high speed: is developed and applied to a WLI temperature sensor system. We found that the new method has random walk of $0.019^{\circ}C/\sqrt{Hz}$ with good linearity. However, the temperature change in the path-matching interferometer results in drift of the measured sensor output. The temperature dependence of drift in the WLI temperature sensor system, was calculated to be $1.42{\mu}m/^{\circ}C$. It is also found that the relationship between the peak spacing in the interferogram and the spacing measured by the method can be nonlinear when the fringe spacing is comparable to the coherence length of the source.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.395-399
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• 2000

In white light interferometry, fast and accurate localization of the fringe visibility is the most essential part in application of the principle. So much attention has been concentrated on speeding up the process, we in this study decided to investigate the results of the various peak-finding algorithms. Of the many approaches, two most simplistic algorithms were selected for their straightforwardness and robustness. Both were equally accurate in measuring the step height of a sample, but the method based on the weighted average technique proved to be truer to the surface topography. A model explaining the shortcomings of the correlation technique is presented. ented.