A three-dimensional measurement device includes: an optical system that splits incident light into two lights and radiates lights to a measurement object and to a reference surface, and recombines the two lights to emit combined light; a first irradiator that emits first light including first polarized light and entering a first surface; a second irradiator that emits second light including second polarized light and entering a second surface; a first imaging system to which the first output light enters wherein the first output light is emitted from the first surface when the first light enters the first surface; a second imaging system to which the second output light enters wherein the second output light is emitted from the second surface when the second light enters the second surface; and an image processor that performs three-dimensional measurement based on interference fringe images obtained by the first and second imaging systems.

An optical modulator includes: a vibrator configured to perform flexural vibration along a first direction; and a diffraction grating disposed in the vibrator and having a plurality of grooves arranged in parallel along the first direction. A frequency of laser light incident on the diffraction grating is shifted. In addition, it is preferable that the vibrator includes a base portion, a first vibration arm, and a second vibration arm disposed side by side along the first direction and coupled to the base portion, the first vibration arm and the second vibration arm perform the flexural vibration along the first direction, and the diffraction grating is disposed on at least one of the first vibration arm and the second vibration arm.

An arrangement for determining four-dimensional properties of an interface of an object, including a light source includes: a unit for forming photonic jets, a unit for performing large field of view interferometric imaging of the interface and their combination, a unit for passing the light being close to the interface and direct the light to the interface, and an image unit. The arrangement includes a unit for performing phase shifting interferometric imaging of the interface, imaging a unit for receiving light from the interface modulated by e.g. microspheres for forming super-resolution image information by combining light interferometry with the photonic jets, and a processor unit for determining four-dimensional properties of the interface on the basis of the image information formed by the phase shifting interferometric imaging by utilizing effect of the photonic jets. The arrangement also can also include a unit to carry out the measurement using polarized light.

Methods and systems for stabilized directional couplers are disclosed and may include a system comprising first and second directional couplers formed by first and second waveguides, where one of the waveguides may comprise a length extender between the directional couplers. The directional couplers may be formed by reduced spacing between the waveguides on opposite sides of the length extender. An input optical signal may be communicated into one of the waveguides, where at least a portion of the input optical signal may be coupled between the waveguides in the first directional coupler and at least a portion of the coupled optical signal may be coupled between the waveguides in the second directional coupler. Optical signals may be communicated out of the system with magnitudes at a desired percentage of the input optical signal. The length extender may add phase delay for signals in one of the first and second waveguides.

A system and method of performing ultrasound modulated optical tomography. Ultrasound is delivered into a target voxel in an anatomical structure, and sample light is delivered into the anatomical structure, whereby a portion of the sample light passing through the target voxel is scattered by the biological tissue as signal light, and a portion of the sample light not passing through the target voxel is scattered by the anatomical structure as background light. The ultrasound and sample light are pulsed in synchrony, such that only the signal light is frequency shifted by the ultrasound. Reference light is combined with the signal light and background light to generate an interference light pattern, which is sequentially modulated to generate a plurality of different interference light patterns. Spatial components of each of the different interference light patterns are simultaneously detected and stored in bins.

In an alignment sensor of a lithographic apparatus, position sensing radiation is delivered to a target (P1). After reflection or diffraction from the target, position sensing radiation is processed to determine a position of the target. Reference radiation interferes with the position sensing radiation) while a relative phase modulation is applied between the reference radiation and the position sensing radiation. The interfering radiation includes a time-varying component defined by the applied phase modulation. The interfering radiation is delivered to two photodetectors in such a way that each photodetector receives said time-varying component in anti-phase to that received at the other photodetector. A difference signal (i(t)) from said photodetectors contains an amplified, low noise version of said time-varying component. This is used in determining the position of the target. Mode matching enhances interference. Surface scattered radiation is rejected.

A variable synthetic wavelength absolute distance measuring device locked to a dynamic sideband and a method thereof are disclosed. A high-frequency electro-optic phase modulator driven by an adjustable clock source to modulate a single-frequency reference laser to generate laser sidebands with equal frequency intervals. The tunable laser is locked to the fifth-order sideband through an offset frequency locking technology. After locking, the interval frequency of the sideband is determined by the adjustable clock source, namely dynamic sideband. The frequency of the adjustable clock source is dynamically adjusted, the interval frequency of the sideband and the frequency difference between the two lasers will change accordingly. Combined with the multi-wavelength interferometry, the constructed synthetic wavelength is also determined by the adjustable clock source, that is, the variable synthetic wavelength. The variable synthetic wavelength is dynamically adjusted, and the multi-level second-level synthetic wavelength is continuously constructed from large level to small level.

A polarization-separated, phase-shifted interferometer can generate interferograms without moving parts. It uses a phase shifter, such as an electro-optic phase modulator, to modulate the relative phase between sample and reference beams. These beams are transformed into orthogonal polarization states (e.g., horizontally and vertically polarized states) and coupled via a common path (e.g., polarization-maintaining fiber) to a polarizing beam splitter (PBS), which sends them into separate sample and reference arms. Quarter-wave plates in the sample and reference arms rotate the polarization states of the sample and reference beams so they are coupled out of the PBS to a detector via a 45? linear polarizer. The polarizer projects the aligned polarization components of the sample and reference beams onto the detector, where they interfere with known relative phase to produce an output that can be used to map surface topography of the test object.

In order to measure the contrast of interference in an interference-based, closed-loop, phase-modulating optical sensor device, the gain of the feedback loop in a feedback controller is evaluated. This gain is found to be a measure for the contrast. The contrast evaluated in this way can e.g. be used for period-disambiguation when determining the measurand of the sensor device. The sensor device can e.g. be a high-voltage sensor or a current sensor.

A system and method of performing ultrasound modulated optical tomography. Ultrasound is delivered into a target voxel in an anatomical structure, and sample light is delivered into the anatomical structure, whereby a portion of the sample light passing through the target voxel is scattered by the biological tissue as signal light, and a portion of the sample light not passing through the target voxel is scattered by the anatomical structure as background light. The ultrasound and sample light are pulsed in synchrony, such that only the signal light is frequency shifted by the ultrasound. Multiple pulses of the sample light are delivered into the anatomical structure for each pulse of the ultrasound delivered into the target voxel. Reference light is combined with the signal light and background light to generate an interference light pattern, which is sequentially modulated to generate different interference light patterns, which are detected.