Multimode laser Fizeau interferometer for measuring the surface of a thin transparent plate

A Fizeau interferometer utilizes a multimode laser as a light source for testing thin transparent plate samples. As a result of multimode linear laser operation, interference fringes are obtained only when the optical path difference between two surfaces is equal to twice a multiple of the laser's effective cavity length. For three parallel surfaces, we can either adjust their separations or select a laser such that only two of the three surfaces meet the requirement of twice a multiple of the laser's effective cavity length. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.