Calibration of a white light interferometer for the measurement of micro-scale dimensions | The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Calibration of a white light interferometer for the measurement of micro-scale dimensions

  • SPECIAL ISSUE - ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Calibration is central to most measurement procedures. This is especially true in those cases where a large number of difficult-to-identify and difficult-to-control factors hinder the experimenters in their efforts to obtain reliable measurement results. Dimensional measurements of features on the micro- and nano-scales is one such case. A white-light interferometer (WLI) microscope can perform measurements of a variety of measurands over a broad dimensional range: from surface texture characterisations on the nano-scale to measurements of step heights of several millimetres. Calibration methods based on the hypothesis of a linear calibration curve can be inadequate to express the relationship between measurement results and traceable reference materials (RMs). A calibration procedure built into a commercially available WLI microscope is critically compared with methods presented in an international standard. This comparison is enabled by a cost-effective procedure for establishing traceable RMs in the micro-range. Advantages of calibration procedures based on more than one RM are then demonstrated within the ranges from 180.5 to 219.5 μm and from 1.5 to 501.5 μm. Calibration methods involving regression modelling of transformed measurement results are considered for these two intervals to overcome the highlighted weaknesses of the calibration procedure built in the examined WLI.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
¥17,985 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Japan)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Akaike H (1974) A new look at the statistical model identification. IEEE Trans Automat Contr AC-19(6):716–723

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  2. BSI—British Standards Institution (1993) BS 4311-3:1993. Specification for gauge blocks and accessories—part 3: gauge blocks in use. BSI, London

    Google Scholar 

  3. BSI—British Standards Institution (1996) BS ISO 11095: 1996. Implementation of ISO 11095:1996. Linear calibration using reference materials. BSI, London

    Google Scholar 

  4. BSI—British Standards Institution (1999) BS EN ISO 3650:1999. Geometrical product specification (GPS)—length standards—gauge blocks. BSI, London

    Google Scholar 

  5. CIRD—Centro interdipartimentale di Ricerca Didattica-Università di Udine (2002) The temperature of the human body. http://web.uniud.it/cird/secif/termo/stati/es6.htm. Accessed 13 June 2008 (in Italian)

  6. Decker J, Pekelsky JR (1997) Gauge block calibration by optical interferometry at the National Research Council of Canada. In: Measurement science conference, Pasadena, January 1997

  7. Faraway J (2005) Linear models with R. Chapman & Hall, Boca Raton

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. Ferri C, Brousseau E, Dimov S, Mattsson L (2006) Repeatability analysis of two methods for height measurements in the micrometer range. In: 4M2006—Conference on multi-material micro manufacture. Grenoble, 20–22 September 2006, pp 165–168

  9. Ferri C, Brousseau E (2008) Variability in measurements of micro lengths with a white light interferometer. Qual Reliab Eng Int 24(8):881–890

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Hansen H, Carneiro K, Haitjema H, Chiffre LD (2006) Dimensional micro and nano metrology. CIRP Ann Manuf Technol 55(2):721–743

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Harasaki A, Schmit J, Wyant JC (2001) Offset of coherent envelope position due to phase change on reflection. Appl Opt 40(13):2102–2106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Harasaki A, Wyant JC (2000) Fringe modulation skewing effect in white-light vertical scanning interferometry. Appl Opt 39(13):2101–2106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. JCGM—Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology (2008) JCGM 200:2008. International vocabulary of metrology—basic and general concepts and associated terms (VIM), 3rd edn. JCGM

  14. Malinosvsky I, Titov A, Dutra J, Belaidi H, Franca R, Massone C (1999) Towards subnanometer uncertainty in interferometric length measurements of short gauge blocks. Appl Opt 38(1):101–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Malinosvsky I, Titov A, Massone C (1998) High-precision method for gauge block measurements and comparison of gauge block interferometers. In: 1998 conference on precision electromagnetic measurements, Washington, DC, 6–10 July 1998, pp 50–51

  16. Park MC, Kim SW (2001) Compensation of phase change on reflection in white-light interferometry for step height measurement. Opt Lett 26(7):420–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Pförtner A, Schwider J (2001) Dispersion error in white-light linnik interferometers and its implications for evaluation procedures. Appl Opt 40(34):6223–6228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering (2004) Nanoscience and nanotechnologies: opportunities and uncertainties. http://www.nanotec.org.uk/finalReport.htm. Accessed 14 June 2008

  19. Scarr AJT (1967) Metrology and precision engineering. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  20. Schmit J, Olszak A (2002) High-precision shape measurement by white-light interferometry with real-time scanner error correction. Appl Opt 41(28):5943–5950

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Sun C, Yu L, Sun Y, Yu Q (2005) Scanning white-light interferometer for measurement of the thickness of a transparent oil film on water. Appl Opt 44(25):5202–5205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Vallance RR, Morgan CJ, Shreve SM, Marsh ER (2004) Micro-tool characterization using scanning white light interferometry. J Micromechanics Microengineering 14(8):1234–1243

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK

    Carlo Ferri

  2. Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK

    Julian Faraway

  3. Manufacturing Engineering Centre, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK

    Emmanuel Brousseau

Authors
  1. Carlo Ferri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. Julian Faraway
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. Emmanuel Brousseau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carlo Ferri.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ferri, C., Faraway, J. & Brousseau, E. Calibration of a white light interferometer for the measurement of micro-scale dimensions. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 47, 125–135 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-009-2050-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-009-2050-7

Keywords