Patent · US Expired

Optical profilometer combined with stylus probe measurement device

US5955661A · kind A · utility

90Cited by
10References
39Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 6, 1997
Grant dateSep 21, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 6, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S977/869
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical profilometer and a stylus probe measuring device used in the same instrument have the advantage that these two sensors can be quickly switched between each other. This can be an advantage when used to measure samples, since the optical profilometer can be used until a sample is found to be outside of the desired tolerances. Afterwards, the stylus probe measuring device can be used to accurately determine the profile data. This is an advantage because an optical profilometer is relatively quick, and the stylus probe measuring device is relatively accurate. Additionally, since the optical profilometer and stylus probe device are in the same instrument, the X and Y positions of these devices can be interrelated accurately. This allows images to be produced where the positions on the images can be easily correlated. For example, measurement cursors in sensor data displays can correlated by the positional offset information.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.