Abstract

In phase shifting interferometry, the image acquisition electronics have largely been ignored, because the overall measurement accuracy has generally been limited by the quality of the reference wave. A recently developed interferometer, the phase shifting diffraction interferometer,^[1] provides a high quality reference wave, which has been measured to be better than λ/8000 rms. With such a reference wave, the interferometer accuracy then becomes limited by systematic errors in the image acquisition electronics. This paper presents a variety of issues that arise when using image acquisition electronics of the sort commonly used in commercial interferometers. A basic fiber interferometer that isolates electronics issues is described, as are simple solutions to some of the errors.

© 1998 Optical Society of America