Single-shot surface 3D imaging by optical coherence factor.

Area of Science:

• Optical physics
• Metrology
• Imaging science

Background:

• Accurate 3D surface characterization is crucial for quality control.
• Existing methods may lack efficiency or require complex setups.
• Optical coherence provides a unique contrast mechanism for surface height measurement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel single-shot 3D topographical imaging method called optical coherence factor (OCF) imaging.
• To demonstrate the capability of OCF imaging in acquiring surface height information.
• To explore the potential applications of OCF imaging in industrial inspection.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a 4-f imaging system to record the light field reflected from an object's surface.
• Employing a laser source with optical coherence length matched to the system's depth of field.
• Implementing off-axis holographic recording to retrieve the coherence factor and convert it to Z-direction information.

Main Results:

• Successfully acquired single-shot 3D topographical images.
• Validated OCF imaging results against axial scanning full-field optical coherence tomography.
• Demonstrated that OCF imaging provides additional information compared to conventional imaging techniques.

Conclusions:

• OCF imaging is a computationally efficient, single-shot method for 3D topographical imaging.
• The technique leverages optical coherence for precise surface height measurement.
• OCF imaging shows promise for applications in industrial quality control and inspection.