Current Developments in Surface Figure Metrology

Abstract

This review paper will examine the current state of optical testing for surface figure metrology. We will look at recent trends in commercial instruments as well as new developments in the technology of optical testing. This discussion will include topics such as software versatility and processing speed, high-speed data collection, new processing algorithms, long-trace optical profilers, larger data arrays, interfaces between interferometers and design programs, and aspheric testing. We will include our most recent results from our work in sub-Nyquist interferometry for measuring aspheric surfaces. The talk will conclude with a brief discussion of the current and future challenges that are facing the optical testing community.