Dynamic noncontact surface profilometry using a fast eigenspace method in diffraction phase microscopy

Dynamic measurement of surface profile is an important requirement in nondestructive testing, especially for the inspection of large samples with consecutive area scans or test objects under translation. In this paper, we propose the application of an eigenspace signal analysis method in diffraction phase microscopy for reliable and noncontact dynamic surface metrology. We also propose the inclusion of a graphics processing unit (GPU) computing framework in our method to enable fast interferogram processing for dynamics-based investigations. The practical viability of the proposed method is demonstrated for noninvasive nanoscale topography of a test target.