According to embodiments of the present invention, an optical imaging device is provided. The optical imaging device includes an optics arrangement configured to generate an extended-source illumination pattern including a plurality of separate spectral bands, and to illuminate a respective section of a sample to be imaged with a respective spectral band of the plurality of separate spectral bands, wherein the optics arrangement is further configured to form an interference signal from a sample light comprising respective return lights from respective sections of the sample illuminated by respective spectral bands of the extended-source illumination pattern, and a reference light, and a detector configured to receive the interference signal for generating an image corresponding to the sections of the sample. According to further embodiments of the present invention, a method for imaging a sample and a method for generating an image are also provided.

Methods and systems are provided for using optical interferometry in the context of material modification processes such as surgical laser or welding applications. An imaging optical source that produces imaging light. A feedback controller controls at least one processing parameter of the material modification process based on an interferometry output generated using the imaging light. A method of processing interferograms is provided based on homodyne filtering. A method of generating a record of a material modification process using an interferometry output is provided.

Examples of the disclosure relate to an apparatus (101), a wearable electronic device and an optical arrangement for optical coherence tomography. The apparatus comprises an optical coherence tomography system (103) and an optical arrangement (105). The optical arrangement comprises at least one means for beam shaping (109) configured to shape a beam of light from the optical coherence tomography system. The optical arrangement also comprises at least one minor (111) positioned so that light from the means for beam shaping is incident on the at least one minor. The at least one mirror is configured to move in at least one direction relative to the optical coherence tomography system.

An optical system includes a light source, an interferometer, and a detector. The interferometer includes a scanner and a lens system disposed downstream of the scanner. The scanner is configured to direct a portion of the optical beam along one of a plurality of different directions within a scanning range. The lens system is configured to project the portion of optical beam to an imaging area defined by a field of view of the optical system, the lens system comprising a first lens, wherein an aspect of the first lens is adjustable so as to render the field of view adjustable without adjusting the scanning range of the scanner. The detector is configured to receive a reflected portion of the optical beam that reflects from an object placed within the imaging area.

Provided is a fast parallel optical coherence tomographic image generating method including dispersing light into N spectral regions .sub.1 through .sub.N sequentially from a low wavelength to a high wavelength, the light being emitted from a broadband light source of a fast parallel optical coherence tomographic image generating apparatus, N being an integer greater than or equal to 2, splitting the light emitted from the broadband light source to be incident on a sample and a reference mirror, partitioning the sample into N image regions P.sub.1 through P.sub.N, discretely controlling a beam scanner such that the light emitted from the broadband light source is incident on the sample at a position changed by a preset distance, acquiring an interference spectral image through interference light formed in response to interference of measurement light and reference light, and generating a tomographic image of the sample using the interference spectral image.

An electronic wafer inspecting method includes: rotating the wavelength transparent wafer, emitting, from a light source coupled with an interferometric device, two light beams, to form, a measurement volume and having a variable inter-fringe distance within the volume, a time signature of a defect intersecting the measurement volume depending on an inter-fringe distance where the defect intersects the volume, the device and the wafer arranged so that the measurement volume extends into a wafer region, collecting the light scattered by the wafer region, emitting a signal representing the variation in the intensity of the collected light per time, detecting in the signal, a frequency of the intensity, the frequency being the time of the passage of a defect through the measurement volume, determining, based on the value of the inter-fringe distance at the location where the defect passes, the position of the defect.

An optical coherence tomograph that provides wavelength tunable source radiation and an illumination and measurement beam path, a dividing element that divides source radiation into illumination radiation and reference radiation, and collects measurement radiation. The illumination and measurement beam path has scanner. A detection beam path receives measurement radiation and reference radiation and conducts them onto at least one flat panel detector in a superposed manner. A beam splitter separates the measurement radiation from the illumination radiation. The beam splitter conducts the separated measurement radiation to the detection beam path and sets the numerical aperture of the illumination of the illumination field in the eye. An optical element sets the numerical aperture with which the measurement radiation is collected in the eye and a multi-perforated aperture defines the size of an object field and a number of object spots, from which the measurement radiation reaches the flat panel detector.

The Solid-State distinct-unidirectional photonic interferometer is an onboard opto-electronic navigational instrument that utilizes propagation of light within the instrument for continuously and independently, from other sources, detecting and measuring position, orientation, displacement, and rates of the displacement of an object in motion from within and from the motion itself.

An interferometer system for measuring the displacement of a location of a test surface includes a reflective beamsplitter having a through-hole through which light enters into and exits from a reference arm and having a second through-hole through which a portion of light from the measurement arm of the interferometer passes through the beamsplitter and is incident on a position sensing device (PSD). The output of the PSD is then used as an indicator of the amount and direction of tilt of the surface under test so that systemic errors of the interferometer induced by the tilt of the test surface can be determined and removed from the displacement measurement.

Interference fringes in a bullseye pattern are produced by a measurement module by interfering a flat reference beam with a spherical beam reflected by a sphere connected to the tip of a probe in point contact with a test object. The bullseye interferogram is registered at a detector and analyzed conventionally to produce a position measurement of the tip of the probe. A beam correction module is used to align the bullseye interferogram with the illumination axis of the measurement module. By combining at least three such measurement modules in a coordinate measurement machine, the three-dimensional position of the probe and of its point contact with the test object can be obtained from analysis of the bullseye interferograms registered by the detectors with high precision and greatly reduced Abbe error.