A compact dual pass interferometer for a plane mirror interferometer configured to receive an input radiation beam from a light source. An optical component has a partially reflective surface arranged to reflect a first portion of the input radiation beam to follow a first optical path directed towards an output terminal and further arranged to transmit a second portion of the input radiation beam to follow a second optical path, directed towards a first location on a reflective target surface and back to the partially reflective surface, then to a second location on the reflective target surface and back to the partially reflective surface, whereupon the second optical path is directed through the partially reflective surface to be recombined with the first optical path to provide a recombined optical path configured to provide an output radiation beam. The output terminal configured to deliver the output radiation beam to a detector.

A three-dimensional measurement device includes an optical system that: splits an incident light into two lights; radiates one light to a measurement object and the other light to a reference surface; and emits the combined light; a first irradiator that emits a first light that comprises a polarized light of a first wavelength and enters a first element of the optical system; a second irradiator that emits a second light that comprises a polarized light of a second wavelength and enters a second element of the optical system; a first camera that takes an image of the first light emitted from the second element when the first light enters the first element; a second camera that takes an image of the second light emitted from the first element when the second light enters the second element; and an image processor that performs measurement based on the images.

A deformometer includes: a cavity body; entry and exit optical cavity optics, such that the optical cavity produces filtered combined light from combined light; a first laser that provides first light; a second laser that provides second light; an optical combiner that: receives the first light; receives the second light; combines the first light and the second light; produces combined light from the first light and the second light; and communicates the combined light to the entry optical cavity optic; a beam splitter that: receives the filtered combined light; splits the filtered combined light; a first light detector in optical communication with the beam splitter and that: receives the first filtered light from the beam splitter; and produces a first cavity signal from the first filtered light; and a second light detector that: receives the second filtered light; and produces a second cavity signal from the second filtered light.

A deformometer includes: a cavity body; entry and exit optical cavity optics, such that the optical cavity produces filtered combined light from combined light; a first laser that provides first light; a second laser that provides second light; an optical combiner that: receives the first light; receives the second light; combines the first light and the second light; produces combined light from the first light and the second light; and communicates the combined light to the entry optical cavity optic; a beam splitter that: receives the filtered combined light; splits the filtered combined light; a first light detector in optical communication with the beam splitter and that: receives the first filtered light from the beam splitter; and produces a first cavity signal from the first filtered light; and a second light detector that: receives the second filtered light; and produces a second cavity signal from the second filtered light.

A deformometer includes: a cavity body; entry and exit optical cavity optics, such that the optical cavity produces filtered combined light from combined light; a first laser that provides first light; a second laser that provides second light; an optical combiner that: receives the first light; receives the second light; combines the first light and the second light; produces combined light from the first light and the second light; and communicates the combined light to the entry optical cavity optic; a beam splitter that: receives the filtered combined light; splits the filtered combined light; a first light detector in optical communication with the beam splitter and that: receives the first filtered light from the beam splitter; and produces a first cavity signal from the first filtered light; and a second light detector that: receives the second filtered light; and produces a second cavity signal from the second filtered light.

A method for producing a mirror plate for a Fabry-Perot interferometer includes providing a substrate, which includes silicon, implementing a semi-transparent reflective coating on the substrate, forming a passivated region in and/or on the substrate by etching a plurality of voids in the substrate, and by passivating the surfaces of the voids, forming a first sensor electrode on top of the passivated region, and forming a second sensor electrode supported by the substrate.

A sample may be illuminated in such a way that light passes through the sample, reflects from a set of reflectors, passes through the sample again and travels to a light sensor. The reflectors may be staggered in depth beneath the sample, each reflector being at a different depth. Light reflecting from each reflector, respectively, may arrive at the light sensor during a different time interval than that in which light reflecting from other reflectors arrivesor may have a different phase than that of light reflecting from the other reflectors. The light sensor may separately measure light reflecting from each reflector, respectively. The reflectors may be extremely small, and the separate reflections from the different reflectors may be combined in a super-resolved image. The super-resolved image may have a spatial resolution that is better than that indicated by the diffraction limit.

A displacement detecting device includes a first diffraction grating, a light source, a displacement detecting unit, and a light receiving unit. The displacement detecting unit includes a light flux dividing unit, a second diffraction grating, and a reference reflecting member. An incident angle of a first light flux to the first diffraction grating, a diffraction angle of the first diffraction grating, an incident angle of the first light flux to the second diffraction grating, and a diffraction angle of the second diffraction grating are angles at which a displacement amount in an optical path length of the first light flux from the light flux dividing unit to the first diffraction grating and a displacement amount in an optical path length of the first light flux from the first diffraction grating to the second diffraction grating become equal in a case where a measured member is displaced in a direction orthogonal to a measured surface.

Various balanced detection systems which reduce alignment requirements of free space optics based balanced detection configurations are discussed. One example system includes a light source, a beam divider, sample optics, return optics, and a processor. The light source generates a light beam. The beam divider separates the light beam into reference and sample arms. The sample optics deliver the light beam in the sample arm to a light scattering object to be imaged. The return optics direct light to a balanced detection system, which has a balanced detection beam divider for combining light scattered from the object and light from the reference arm and directing the combined light into two detection channels and two detectors for collecting the combined light in the two detection channels and generating signals in response thereto. The processor processes the signals and generates image data of the object based on the processed signals.

A position measurement system to measure a position of an object relative to a reference, the position measurement system including two interferometers, wherein each interferometer is configured to form a reference beam and a measurement beam from input radiation and to combine the reference beam and the measurement beam to provide output radiation to be delivered to a detector, wherein each interferometer is configured such that the reference beam is formed by reflection of input radiation from a reflective element, and such that the measurement beam is formed by diffraction of input radiation from a grating on the object, and wherein the reference beam and the measurement beam are parallel to each other.