Abstract

An absolute-ranging interferometer will be described that is suitable for dimensional gaging and surface profiling in manufacturing applications. The interferometer has a two-frequency source and a continuously tuned or 'chirped' synthetic wavelength. The fiber-coupled experimental system uses an eye-safe 25 (mu) W, 0.25 mm diameter collimated probe beam; and has an absolute distance measurement accuracy of 3 micrometers over a 150 mm dynamic range.