Surface profile measuring method and apparatus
US6501553B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 24, 2000 |
| Grant date | Dec 31, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 24, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B11/303
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A surface profile measuring apparatus for measuring rugged profiles of object surfaces includes a white light source, a varying device for varying a relative distance between an object surface and a reference surface, a frequency band limiting device for limiting the frequency band of white light to a particular frequency band, an image pickup device for picking up an image of the object surface, a sampling device for successively acquiring intensity values of interference light corresponding to varying interference fringes, from a particular location at sampling intervals corresponding to a bandwidth of the particular frequency band, a storage device for storing a group of interference light intensity values acquired, and a computing device for estimating characteristic functions from the group of interference light intensity values stored, and determining a height in the particular location based on a peak position of the characteristic functions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.