Error sources, measurement uncertainties and calibration techniques in high-precision metrology

Although high-precision measuring devices, e.g. interferometers, are emerging more and more from the laboratory into the shop floor, many users are totally oblivious to potential errors that inevitably creep into the measuring process. This paper touches upon potential error sources that can be encountered in interferometry and shows a method for expressing measurement uncertainty. Furthermore, possibilities for interferometer calibration are illustrated.