Measurement of the influence of dispersion on white-light interferometry

Appl Opt. 2004 Feb 1;43(4):766-70. doi: 10.1364/ao.43.000766.

Abstract

White-light interferometry is a well-established method for measuring the height profiles of samples with rough as well as with smooth surfaces. Because white-light interferometry uses broadband light sources, the problem of dispersion arises. Because the optical paths in the two interferometer arms cannot be balanced for all wavelengths, the white-light correlogram is distorted, which interferes with its evaluation. We investigate the influence of setup parameters on the shape of the correlogram. Calculated values are compared with experimental results.