We report on the application of an interferometric system based on the low-coherence interferometry technique to the dimensional characterization of large opaque mechanical parts as well as microdeformations experienced by them. The implemented scheme is capable of simultaneously measuring very small deformations and relatively large dimensions or thicknesses (several centimeters) of the sample. By applying the chirp Fourier transform algorithm, it was possible to measure changes in thickness with an uncertainty of 0.35 μm when a 7-cm-thick sample was measured. The measurement scheme was implemented in optical fiber, which makes it highly adaptable to industrial conditions. It employs a tunable light source and a Sagnac–Michelson configuration of the interferometric system that allows the thickness of the opaque sample and the topography of both faces to be obtained simultaneously. The developed system can be used to perform profilometry of opaque samples and to analyze the dimensional behavior of mechanical pieces in production lines or under mechanical efforts capable of introducing some deformations on them. This feature enables the system to perform quality control in manufacturing processes.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-destructive optical technique, which uses a light source with a wide band width that focuses on a point in the sample to determine the distance (strictly, the optical path difference, OPD) between this point and a reference surface. The point can be superficial or at an interior interface of the sample (transparent or semitransparent), allowing topographies and / or tomographies in different materials. The Michelson interferometer is the traditional experimental scheme for this technique, in which a beam of light is divided into two arms, one the reference and the other the sample. The overlap of reflected light in the sample and in the reference generates an interference signal that gives us information about the OPD between arms. In this work, we work on the experimental configuration in which the reference signal and the reflected signal in the sample travel on the same arm, improving the quality of the interference signal. Among the most important aspects of this improvement we can mention that the noise and errors produced by the relative reference–sample movement and by the dispersion of the refractive index are considerably reduced. It is thus possible to obtain 3D images of surfaces with a spatial resolution in the order of microns. Results obtained on the topography of metallic surfaces, glass and inks printed on paper are presented.
This work presents the use of a recently developed interferometric system based on the swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) technique, which allows the characterization of transparent and semitransparent multilayer systems employing a tunable fiber-optic laser with a coherence length suitable for achieving long-deep range imaging (>10 cm). The inclusion of fiber Bragg gratings in the system allows it to perform a self-calibration in each sweep of the light source. Measurements carried out on cuvettes, ampoules, small bottles, and glass containers used in the pharmaceutical industry are presented. The thicknesses of the walls and the distance between them were determined. Transparent and semitransparent objects of a multilayer type of different thicknesses were also measured. The configuration presented allows extension of the measurement range obtainable with the usual OCT systems, demonstrating the potentiality of the proposed scheme to carry out quality control in industrial applications.
We used an interferometric technique based on typical optical coherence tomography (OCT) schemes for measuring distances of industrial interest. The system employed as a light source a tunable erbium-doped fiber laser of ∼20-pm bandwidth with a tuning range between 1520 and 1570 nm. It has a sufficiently long coherence length to enable long depth range imaging. A set of fiber Bragg gratings was used as a self-calibration method, which has the advantage of being a passive system that requires no additional electronic devices. The proposed configuration and the coherence length of the laser enlarge the range of maximum distances that can be measured with the common OCT configuration, maintaining a good axial resolution. A measuring range slightly >17 cm was determined. The system performance was evaluated by studying the repeatability and axial resolution of the results when the same optical path difference was measured. Additionally, the thickness of a semitransparent medium was also measured.
We present experimental results in deformation measurement and thickness change in polymer films employing Fourier domain interferometry. The set-up is a Michelson configuration in which interference signal betweeen light reflected from a reference arm is superposed with two reflection from the first and second interface from the film sample. Distance measurements for determination of deformation and thickness values were obtained after an inverse Fourier transform of the spectrum signal. With this configuration, measurements with 1 micron axial resolution, and 2mm dynamic range were obtained.
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