Modified Fabry-Perot interferometer for displacement measurement in ultra large measuring range

Laser interferometers have demonstrated outstanding measuring performances for high precision positioning or dimensional measurements in the precision industry, especially in the length measurement. Due to the non-common-optical-path structure, appreciable measurement errors can be easily induced under ordinary measurement conditions. That will lead to the limitation and inconvenience for in situ industrial applications. To minimize the environmental and mechanical effects, a new interferometric displacement measuring system with the common-optical-path structure and the resistance to tilt-angle is proposed. With the integration of optomechatronic modules in the novel interferometric system, the resolution up to picometer order, high precision, and ultra large measuring range have been realized. For the signal stabilization of displacement measurement, an automatic gain control module has been proposed. A self-developed interpolation model has been employed for enhancing the resolution. The novel interferometer can hold the advantage of high resolution and large measuring range simultaneously. By the experimental verifications, it has been proven that the actual resolution of 2.5 nm can be achieved in the measuring range of 500 mm. According to the comparison experiments, the maximal standard deviation of the difference between the self-developed Fabry-Perot interferometer and the reference commercial Michelson interferometer is 0.146 μm in the traveling range of 500 mm. With the prominent measuring characteristics, this should be the largest dynamic measurement range of a Fabry-Perot interferometer up till now.