New concepts for a fiber based white light interferometer for absolute distance measurements

White light interferometry or coherence radar is a well known and established measurement technique for years. But especially the field of production technology and medical technology need measurement systems with continuously increasing performance. This paper demonstrates, how the use of new components for higher measurement frequencies and the miniaturizing of the sensor tip can enlarge the application fields for this system. First, the fundamental aspects of white light interferometry are presented and lead to the new concept of a distance measurement system. It is shown how the inset of a special stepped mirror in the detection interferometer increases the measurement frequency and how the sensor is miniaturized using a Fabry-Perot interferometer.