Patent ID: 6850329

Claim:
An interferometer, comprising: a transmitting portion that directs differently polarized portions of a coherent light beam to a reference element and an object, combines the differently polarized portions returned from the reference element and object into a combined wavefront, and outputs the combined wavefront; a multiple phase shift image generating portion arranged to input the combined wavefront, the multiple phase shift image generating portion comprising at least a first polarizer array arranged along at least a first optical path, the first polarizer array comprising a plurality of first polarizing portions having a first polarization direction and a plurality of second polarizing portions having a second polarization direction, the first and second polarizing portions arranged in a pattern within the first polarizer array; and a detector portion comprising at least a first detector array arranged along the first optical path, wherein: the first polarizer array receives at least a sub-wavefront of the combined wavefront including the differently polarized portions; the first polarizing portions transmit the differently polarized portions of the sub-wavefront to produce at least first interference portions, the first interference portions comprising interference light having a first unique phase relationship; the second polarizing portions transmit the differently polarized portions of the sub-wavefront to produce at least second interference portions, the second interference portions comprising interference light having a second unique phase relationship; and the multiple phase shift image generating portion outputs interleaved multiple phase-shifted interference image information from at least the first polarizer array, the interleaved multiple phase-shifted interference image information from the first polarizer array comprising at least the first interference portions and the second interference portions, at least the first interference portions and the second interference portions interleaved at a spatial frequency determined at least partially by the pattern of the first polarizing portions and the second polarizing portions in the first polarizer array.