Patent ID: 6760114
Filing Date: 2004-07-06
Classification: G01B

Abstract:
In an optical wave interferometer for splitting a luminous flux from a light source into two, irradiating a sample with one of thus obtained two luminous fluxes so as to attain object light carrying a phase state of said sample, irradiating a reference plate with the other so as to attain reference light carrying a phase state of said reference plate, and re-combining said object light and reference light together so as to attain an interference fringe corresponding to a phase difference therebetween;a support apparatus for an optical wave interferometer reference plate comprising a support member for supporting an outer peripheral face of said reference plate, said support member being a structure bonded to said outer peripheral face of said reference plate at a plurality of positions spaced from each other along a circumferential direction of said outer peripheral face and adapted to deform elastically in a circumferential/diametric direction of said reference plate but less in an optical axis direction of said reference plate than in said circumferential/diametric direction.