Interferometry

Interferometry is a family of techniques in which waves, usually electromagnetic

waves, are superimposed, causing the phenomenon of interference, which is
used to extract information.
When a light is made to interfere , it produces a pattern of dark bands , which
corresponds to a very accurate scale of division. The unit value of this scale is
exactly one half wavelength of light is used. Because this length is so constant
. It was used to be considered as international standard of length, a few years
back.

The monochromatic light ;

Light is a form of energy which can be considered to travel from one place to
another in the form of electro- magnetic sinusoidal waves.
The wavelength ‘λ’ determines the colour and the amplitude ‘a’ determines
the intensity of the light.
White light is a combination of all colours of the visible spectrum so it is the
combination of all wavelengths. Which is not suitable for the length
measurement by Interferometry.
 to overcome this difficulty a monochromatic light source is used which has
ray of single frequency and wavelength and single colour.
e.g. Light sources like mercury 198,cadmium , krypton 86,thallium , helium,
hydrogen, neon , sodium, zinc produces single colour light.

INETERFERENCE OF LIGHT :
CASE I . To understand the formation
of interference fringes, we must consider what
happens when two rays of the same
wavelength are combined. Figure shows two
monochromatic rays A and B of identical
wavelength but of unequal intensity ; the
wavelength is denoted by the symbol λ and
the intensity measured by the square of
amplitudes a and b . The rays are exactly in
phase and their combined effect is Resultant
ray R and its amplitude is r
CASE II . When rays are in out of phase.

In this case they differ in phase by λ /2 , they nullify each other and result in
darkness.
following figure is regarding the production of interference bands.
The interference can occurs only when two light rays are coherent, that is the
two rays maintain their phase relationship for an appreciable length of time.
This is possible only when the two rays are originated from the same point
of the light source at the same time.
In figure light passes through the very narrow slit A and then through the slits B
and C which are close together. Thus two separate sets of rays (beams) of
light are formed which pass through and cross one another in the same
medium. independent effect and interference band pattern is produced.

If the paths BO and CO are exactly equal then the rays on these paths will be in
phase . A constructive interference takes place producing the maximum
intensity. At the same point M the rays path difference will be equal to 1/2
wavelength. [Link] - BM = ½ λ Thus the screen the waves will be 180°
out of phase i.e. Resultant intensity will be zero and destructive inference
takes place producing total darkness at M and at N , and at P & Q total
brightness. These series of bands are called as interference pattern
Optical flat :
To obtain interference pattern while testing the different dimension and
features of the component optical flat is used. It provides precision and
accuracy in the measurement of flatness.
Optical flats are cylindrical pieces 25 to 300 mm in diameter with a thickness
of about 1/6th of the diameter. They are made of transparent material
such as quarts , glass ,sapphire etc.
Optical flats are made of quarts are more commonly used because of its
hardness, low coefficient of expansion, resistance to corrosion, and much
longer useful life.
 The simplest method of
producing interference is
by illuminating an optical
flat is supported over a
plane reflecting surface.

This is a disc of glass or quartz, the faces of which are highly polished and flat to
within a few hundredths of a micrometer. When put into close contact with a
nearly flat surface dark bands are seen. Fig. Shows a section of an optically flat
inclined slightly to a flat surface.
The ray light entering the glass at A is partly reflected at B along BC and partly
transmitted to be reflected at D along the path DEF. The rays emerging at C
and F have slightly different directions but they can be brought together by
an optical system such as the eye.
The difference between the length of the paths taken by the two rays is BD + DE,
and if this distance is an even number of half-wave lengths, the rays are in
phase and a bright band is seen. At another position G, the path difference
HKL is an odd number of half wavelengths and the rays from J and M interfere
to cause darkness
The same phenomenon is used to check the flatness, angle and height of the
component.

Flatness testing :

Consider an optical flat placed upon a flat metal surface so that wedge film of
air is entrapped between them as shown in figure. When suitably illuminated
interference fringes are visible when the deviation from the planarity are of
the order of 0.001mm or less.
Now lets we see the phenomenon The ray L1 follows the path AB. At B, part of the
ray is reflected to follow the path BC while the remainder continues along the
path BD and is reflected from the metal surface D along the path DEF. Both
parts of the ray are recombined at the eye, having traversed unequal
distances.
Similarly, the L2 & L3 travel through the path and having the path difference that
is of even and odd multiples of wavelengths λ , which produces the
interference fringes of bright and dark bands as shown in following figure.

In this 3 bands can be seen of the rays having λ = 0.5 μm =so the separation
distance would be of 3 × (1/2 λ ) i.e. 3 × (1/2 × 0.5 ) = 0.75 μm
 [Link]
for flatness checking

Fig shows optical arrangement of N.P.L.

Flatness interferometer .
This instrument is mainly used
for checking the flatness of flat surfaces. In
this mercury vapour lamp is used as a light
source whose radiations are passed
through a green filter and thus leaving a
green monochromatic light. The
wavelength of resulting monochromatic
radiations is of the order of 0.5 μm
(0.0005mm).
This radiations is then brought to
focus on pin hole in order to obtain an
intense point of monochromatic light,
which is in the focal plane of a collimating
lens, and is thus projected as a parallel
beam of light.
This beam is directed on the gauge to be
tested which is wrung on the base plate,
via an optical flat so that optical fringes
Are fringes are across the face of the gauge, the fringes being viewed from
directly above by means of a thick glass plate semi-reflector set at 45° to the
optical axis.
If the gauge face is flat and parallel to the base plate, the fringe pattern
produced will be straight , parallel and equally spaced.
In case taper is present , then the fringe pattern obtained is as shown in fig (a)
When the gauge surface is convex or concave then fringe pattern as shown in
fig(b) is obtained.
This can be also used for the checking the height of the component.
as shown in figure the component C and standard gauge block G are wrung to a
reference surface at a known distance X apart.
an optical flat is placed over the two as shown . As the height of the reference
gauge is slightly different from that of the component being tested the
optical the optical flat will be inclined at a small angle thus producing an air
wedge.

If N number of dark fringes are observed over the width L mm of the G block,
then the difference in height h = λ /2 × N/L
If X = 50 mm, L = 25 mm, N = 5 and λ /2 = 0.000333909 mm

h = 0.000333909 × (50 × 5) / 25
i.e h = 0.000333909 mm

By this method we can estimate the difference in heights of the standard

and work dimensions. However , it is still not known whether the work is
higher than the gauge G or vice versa . To find this the optical flat is pressed
lightly with finger over the gauge block G. If the gauge block is higher than
the workpiece the air gap between G and the optical flat will tend to
become parallel and hence the fringes will move father apart, However , if
the component C is higher than the gauge G, applications of pressure would
result in further increase of the air gap wedge and hence the fringes would
come closer.
The procedure for checking the parallelism (or taper ) of the component
surface using the Interferometry technique. The wavelength of light is o.5
micron.
1) when a component in position 1 on the platen , count the number of
fringes or bands from its surface (N1)
2) With component still on the platen , rotate the platen through an angle of
180° (i.e. position 2) and count the number of fringes from the surface of
the component (N2)
3) Half the difference between the two counts
i.e. ½ ( N2 –N1 ) multiplied by ½ λ will give the error (e) or taper present in
figure.

Taper(e) = ( N2 –N1 ) /2 × λ /2
N1 = 5 ,N2 = 11 , N1 –N2 = 6
Taper = (6/2) × ( 0.5 /2)
= 0.75 μm