Subaperture stitching digital holographic microscopy for precise wear volume measurement in tribology

Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is an effective method for the evaluation of surface topography. It combines the high lateral resolution of microscopy with the high axial resolution of interferometry. In this paper, DHM with subaperture stitching for tribology is presented. The developed approach allows large surface area inspection by stitching together multiple measurements, which brings a big advantage to the evaluation of tribological tests such as a tribological track on a thin layer. The whole track measurement provides additional parameters, which can offer more information on the result of the tribological test than the conventional four-profile measurement by a contact profilometer.