Broadband light source shearing interferometer using Savart plate and angular scanning technique.

A shearing interferometer based on using broadband light source, Savart plate, and angular scanning technique is proposed for slope contour measurements in this Letter. Of which, the Savart plate divides the wavefront reflected from the detected surface into two laterally displaced ones, the interference pattern generated by the interference of the divided wavefronts is modulated by an envelope function, and the slope contour of the detected surface is determined by examining the shifting of the darkest fringe as the shear plate is angularly scanned. A setup for realizing the interferometer is constructed. The experimental results of using this setup agree the validity and feasibility of the proposed interferometer.