Low-numerical-aperture Gaussian beam confocal system for profiling optically smooth surfaces

Moises Cywiak; J. Félix Aguilar; Bernardino Barrientos

doi:10.1117/1.1829712

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1 January 2005 Low-numerical-aperture Gaussian beam confocal system for profiling optically smooth surfaces

Moises Cywiak, J. Félix Aguilar, Bernardino Barrientos

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Optical Engineering, 44(1), 013604 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.1829712

Abstract

We propose a simple confocal system that uses a laser Gaussian beam as a probe to measure microstructure features of curved or turned surfaces. The probe beam is focused by a lens with a low numerical aperture to maintain the beam unclipped throughout the detection process and to limit the vertical resolution to several microns. This resolution is suitable for examining the microstructure of machined surfaces. The size of the pinhole in the plane of detection is characterized for optimal depth discrimination. The analytic description is based on the propagation of Gaussian beams by using the scalar Fresnel diffraction integral.

©(2005) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

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Moises Cywiak, J. Félix Aguilar, and Bernardino Barrientos "Low-numerical-aperture Gaussian beam confocal system for profiling optically smooth surfaces," Optical Engineering 44(1), 013604 (1 January 2005). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.1829712

Published: 1 January 2005

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