Traceable stitching interferometry for form measurement of moderately curved freeform surfaces

Abstract

We present an interferometric form measurement system that is capable of measuring the form of optical surfaces from flats to moderately curved freeforms. A Fizeau interferometer is scanned over the specimen measuring its topography and the distance to the surface in subaperture measurements. The angle between the interferometer and the specimen is adjusted for each position and additionally relevant stage angle errors are measured with two tiltmeters. An optical surface with a spherical form (50 mm diameter, 10 m radius of curvature) is measured, and an uncertainty budget yields an uncertainty of 69 nm ( k = 2 ) for its topography. The determined radius of curvature agrees well with the nominal specifications and a measurement with a coordinate measurement machine. Furthermore, a form measurement of a car’s side window is presented.