Patent ID: 7382467

Claim:
An interferometric measuring device for determining a profile of a surface of an object by depth scanning, comprising: a radiation source emitting a short coherent beam; a beam splitter arrangement positioned in the path of the short coherent beam and forming an object beam and a reference beam; a panorama optics arrangement for guiding the object beam to the object via an object light path; a reflecting reference element; a reference optics arrangement for guiding the reference beam to the reflecting reference element via a reference light path; an image pick-up arrangement that receives beams reflected by the object and the reference element and brought into interference, wherein the image pick-up arrangement transmits signals derived from the received beams to an evaluator for determining the profile of the surface of the object; and at least one adaptive optical element for controlling imaging characteristics; wherein a reference surface oriented at an angle to the object surface is formed in the vicinity of the object surface, and wherein the depth scanning for determining the profile of the surface of the object is performed by laterally moving the object with respect to the object beam.