Imaging characteristics of prism interferometers

The micro topography of technical surfaces was measured with a prism interferometer. A new anamorphic double-module serving as an interference head was designed for this purose. This interference head provides a shear-free-two-beam interference image and allows computer-controlled phase-shifting for phase-sampling methods. The distance between the specimen's surface and the module may exceed 1 mm. A mathematical-physical model for prism interferometers was worked out to properly evaluate the information on the surface which has had been gained by means of interferometric images.