Snapshot phase-shifting lateral shearing interferometer

Abstract

We propose a novel, low-cost snapshot phase-shifting lateral shearing interferometer (SPLSI) with full-range continuously adjustable lateral shear ratio. A tunable shear plate, consisting of a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) plate and a reflective mirror, separates the orthogonally polarization states of the test wavefront into original and sheared wavefronts. The lateral shear ratio can be tuned by adjusting the spacing between PBS plate and the mirror. A pixelated polarization camera simultaneously captures four π/2 phase-shifted interferograms for phase-shifting interferometric measurement. In addition to tunable shear ratio and snapshot capture of phase-shifted interferograms, one more key feature is that SPLSI can measure the wavefront of low-coherence light. The feasibility of the proposed system is demonstrated experimentally. The proposed system provides a simple, compact, and fast way to achieve the instantaneous phase-shifting lateral shearing interferometric testing of wavefronts with minimal impact from environmental disturbance.