Patent ID: 6552805
Filing Date: 2003-04-22
Classification: G01Q

Abstract:
An interferometric optical microscopy system for imaging an object, the system comprising:a beam splitter positioned to separate an input beam into a measurement beam and a reference beam; a measurement beam source array positioned to receive the measurement beam, the measurement beam source array comprising a mask having an array of measurement apertures and a control aperture adjacent one of the measurement apertures, wherein the control aperture has transverse dimensions larger than the transverse dimensions of the adjacent measurement aperture, and wherein each of the measurement apertures and the control aperture is configured to radiate a portion of the measurement beam to the object, the object interacting with the radiated measurement beam portions to direct signal radiation back through the measurement apertures to define a measurement return beam, wherein the transverse dimensions of the control aperture cause the signal radiation directed back through the measurement aperture adjacent the control aperture to be dominated by radiation derived from the control aperture; a reference beam source array positioned to receive the reference beam, the reference beam source array comprising an array of elements each configured to radiate a portion of the reference beam, the radiated reference beam portions defining a reference return beam; a multi-element photo-detector; imaging optics positioned to direct the measurement and reference return beams to the photo-detector and configured to produce overlapping conjugate images of the array of reference elements and the array of measurement apertures on the photo-detector, wherein the conjugate image for each measurement aperture overlaps with the conjugate image of a corresponding reference element to produce an optical interference signal indicative of a particular region of the object.