White light interferometry- experiment guide

White Light Interferometry

Laboratory Experiment Guide
Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Understand the basic principles of white light interferometry measurement.

Understand the components of white light interferometer.
Understand how surface profile can be reconstructed using white light interferometer.
Understand the measurement procedure of white light interferometer.

Introduction:
White light interferometer is a measurement technique with high accuracy and long
measurement range. The advantage of white light interferometry compared to laser
interferometry is its long measurement range and the absence of phase ambiguity
problem.
A white light interferometry system employs a broadband light source, an interferometry
objective (Mirau/Michelson), a PZT translator for moving the objective in nanometer
scale, and a camera for capturing the interferogram. The system setup and sample
interferogram are shown in Figure 1(a).
Camera

White Light
Interferogram
Light
Source

Microscope
objective

PZT

Reference Mirror

Beam Splitter

Mirau
Interferometer

Sample

(a)

(b)

Figure 1 (a) Schematic of white light interferometry system and (b) Illustration of
white light interferometry signal.
The PZT translator is employed for moving the Mirau interferometer in vertical direction
with a specific interval (in practice the interval is usually set to 0.1 um). Interferogram is
captured at each height position and the intensity of the interferogram is captured. The
intensity variation along the depth can be illustrated as in Figure 1 (b). The key feature of
white light interferometry signal is that the intensity is modulated with an enveloping
function. The envelope function has its maximum when the traveling distance of the light

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to the sample is exactly the same with the distance to the reference. This key feature is
utilized for reconstructing the surface profile of the measured sample.
An example of white light interferometry measurement is shown in Figure 2.
Interferogram capturing process is illustrated in Figure 2(a) where interferogram is
captured at different vertical position (Z). The intensity of one point I(x,y) in the
inteferogram is shown in Figure 2(b). The height of the surface can be reconstructed by
finding the envelope peak of the interferogram signal. The whole surface can be
reconstructed by performing the envelope peak calculation operation on each point in the
interferogram.
interferogram

Z (um)

(x,y)

Intensity
Z0

IZ0 (x,y)

Z1

IZ1 (x,y)

Z2

IZ2 (x,y)

Z3

IZ3 (x,y)

Z4

IZ4 (x,y)

...
Zn

(a)

IZn (x,y)

(b)

Figure 2 (a) White light interferogram capturing process and (b) white light
interferometry signal from a point in the interferogram.
Experiment:
1. Put the sample below the white light interferometry microscope.
2. Adjust the position of the sample, by moving the X-Y stage until interferogram is
shown on the software in the PC.
3. Adjust the tilt angle of the sample and observe the change of the interferogram. (note
the vertical axis have to be re-adjusted when the tilt is changed.)
4. Set the vertical scanning range:
a. Drag the scrollbar on the software to adjust the PZT position until a position
where inteferogram is not visible then click set start position button.
b. Drag the scrollbar to lower position until interferogram is visible and then
become not visible again, then click set stop position button.
c. After start and stop position are set click do VSI button.
5. The vertical scanning will start, wait until the software shows that the measurement
process is finished.
6. Open the measurement result using the Profile Viewer software. Capture the 3D
profile and also the cross section of the profile.

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Report (example):
1. System information:
Microscope magnification
Objective magnification
PZT Traveling distance

2. Captured interferogram fringe at three different orientation

Orientation A

Orientation B

Orientation C

3. Measurement results
3D Profile

Cross Section

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