Houghton University’s Phase Shifting Laser Interferometer for the Study of Thin Metal Films
| dc.contributor.author | Yelle, Luke J. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Hoffman, Brandon | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-04-14T12:30:43Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-04-14T12:30:43Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-04-14 | |
| dc.description.abstract | A modified Twyman-Green phase-shifting laser interferometer was built by Houghton University to determine the thickness of thin metal films. A 635 nm beam is split by a cube beam splitter. Lenses expand and culminate the beams to a diameter of ~10 cm. One beam reflects off of the thin film sample. The other reflects off of a 10 cm diameter, 𝜆/10 flat, phase-shifting reference mirror moving via piezoelectric ceramic stacks, controlled by an Arduino. Both are then combined to form an interference pattern on a screen. The intensity of a given point on the interference pattern changes sinusoidally with the change of position of the reference mirror. A set of pictures is taken at different reference positions by an HP high-definition camera and is then processed by a Processing code. Each pixel of the image set is fit to determine its intensity phase shift, which is then used to map the topography of the film surface. | |
| dc.description.statementofresponsibility | Houghton University Physics Research Symposium, Houghton, NY, April 14, 2025 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://dspace.houghton.edu/handle/hc/4257 | |
| dc.publisher | Houghton University | |
| dc.rights | Authors retain the copyright for all content posted in this repository. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed beyond the Houghton University community without permission except in accordance with fair use doctrine. | |
| dc.subject | Student Projects | |
| dc.title | Houghton University’s Phase Shifting Laser Interferometer for the Study of Thin Metal Films |