Optics: measuring and testing – By light interference – For dimensional measurement
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-03
2004-03-30
Font, Frank G. (Department: 2877)
Optics: measuring and testing
By light interference
For dimensional measurement
Reexamination Certificate
active
06714307
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to optical metrology.
BACKGROUND
A common challenge for manufacturers is precise measurement of surface topography. Examples of manufactured items requiring metrology are engine parts, components for magnetic storage devices, flat-panel displays, molded and textured plastic surfaces, mechanical pump surfaces and seals, and minted coins. In these and other Industrial Markets, there is a significant and growing need for fast, accurate metrology of parts having non-flat prismatic surfaces. These parts include three-dimensional (3D) cones, cylinders, and spheres, often having surfaces as small as 2 mm in diameter and 75 mm deep with 3D form tolerances of as low as 0.5 &mgr;m. An important example is fuel system valves, which are fundamental building blocks in engines, pumps and other hydraulic systems. Manufacturing the conical form of these parts within tolerance specifications is a high priority. For instance, the roundness of valve seats is important to valve function as it relates closely to leakage—a valve seat not conforming to specified roundness would likely yield a leaky valve. Additionally, many of these surfaces are deeply recessed within narrow cylindrical holes, making precise metrology even more challenging.
Presently, most measurements on fuel system components are mechanical or tactile (e.g., stylus gages). There is a strong interest in this industry to transition to optical techniques, for example by using interferometry, which can improve throughput, data density and uncertainty compared with mechanical techniques. One key advantage of optics is the “3D” aspect of the surface measurement, as opposed to the linear trace of a stylus gage. However, many industrial surfaces such as interior cones are difficult to measure optically, because of their unusual shape and surface texture, when compared to the usual optical testing samples such as mirrors, prisms and lenses.
SUMMARY
The invention features interferometry methods and systems for measuring complex surface shapes such as internal cones. The most common internal cones requiring precision metrology are one-half of a valve system. The mating part of the valve is generically one of three types: a ball; a mating cone (usually of a slightly more acute angle than the internal cone, and sometimes segmented); and a cylinder (often having a slight taper at the intended contact region with the cone). In each case, “roundness” of the internal cone is important because of the contact surface area between the cone and the mating part. Roundness refers to the deviation of the conical surface from an ideal sphere sitting in the cone at the diameter of contact. This is what gages (in conjunction with other inputs) consistent pressure in the system, accuracy of the duration of the fuel pulse, and leakage (dripping).
The valve contact surface may be thought of as a pie plate with the bottom knocked out. This picture of the contact surface is generally valid for all three types of mating part. For all valve types, the roundness of the contact surface is very important. For cones that mate with other cones, the cone angle and straightness of the contact surface are also very important.
Typically, critical cone surface form characteristics are those that would cause leakage when mated with a ball or similar movable part. Thus, a measurement of most interest to manufacturers of these parts is how the cone surface deviates from the ideal as viewed, e.g., by an imaginary sphere nominally placed at the same position as the actual mating ball of the valve. Therefore, an ideal metrology technique would evaluate the deviation of the conical surface shape (or other complex surface shapes) with respect to a sphere centered on an optical datum point located near the cone axis at a position such that an annular cone-shaped segment of the surface is viewed at near normal incidence from the center of the sphere.
The inventors have recognized that conical surfaces (and other complex surface shapes) can be interferometrically characterized using a locally spherical measurement wavefront (e.g., spherical and aspherical wavefronts). In particular, complex surface shapes are measured relative to a measurement point datum. This is achieved by varying the radius of curvature of a virtual surface corresponding to a theoretical test surface that would reflect a measurement wavefront to produce a constant optical path length difference (e.g., zero OPD) between the measurement and reference wavefronts. This virtual surface is referred to as an optical measurement surface. The radius of curvature of the optical measurement surface can be varied by scanning the OPD in a telecentric portion of the interferometer.
For parts having conical surfaces, the point datum emulates the center of a mating sphere. By scanning the radius of curvature of the optical measurement surface so it tangentially contacts the conical surface, one can measure the gap between the part surface and the optical measurement surface.
Preferably, systems should be configured to satisfy two conditions for optimal measurements using this technique. Firstly, the optical measurement surface should locally match the part surface. In other words, the optical measurement surface should tangentially contact a portion of the part surface. This enables the system to interferometrically measure the part in a direction normal to the part surface. As a result, the lateral calibration of the image pixels is not sensitive, at least to first order, to the 3D nature of the object surface. Likewise, the lateral resolution of the imaging detector does not compromise (at least to first order) the accuracy of the interferometric distance measurement. This is important because the lateral image resolution of an interference microscope is generally 1000 times inferior to the height resolution of the interferometric measurement. Furthermore, the optimal configuration for collecting light reflected by the part surface results when the optical measurement surface tangentially contacts the part surface, which amounts to illuminating and collecting light along the local part normal.
Secondly, the part surface should be in focus with respect to a downstream detector. This optimizes lateral resolution (i.e., in the plane of the part surface) and interference fringe contrast. This condition also reduces measurement sensitivity to the slope of the part surface.
Interferometry systems using this technique can be controlled by e.g., a computer. To measure a portion of a part surface, the computer continuously varies the radius of the optical measurement surface without moving the point datum. As the measurement surface contacts the part surface, the computer records the location of these points of intersection with respect to the optical point datum while acquiring images of corresponding interference patterns via a detector. Using an algorithm, the computer reconstructs and analyzes the part surface.
In general, in a first aspect, the invention features an interferometry method. The method includes directing a measurement wavefront to reflect from a measurement surface and a reference wavefront to reflect from a reference surface, where the measurement and reference wavefronts are derived from a common light source, and directing the reflected measurement and reference wavefronts to overlap with one another and form an interference pattern. Paths for the measurement and reference wavefronts define an optical measurement surface corresponding to a theoretical test surface that would reflect the measurement wavefront to produce a constant optical path length difference between the measurement and reference wavefronts. The method also includes varying the radius of curvature of a locally spherical portion of the optical measurement surface to contact a conical portion of the measurement surface, and detecting the interference pattern as a function of the radius of curvature.
In another aspect, the invention features an interferometry method that includes directing a measurement wavefro
Colonna De Lega Xavier
De Groot Peter J.
Font Frank G.
Lee Andrew H.
Zygo Corporation
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