Method for processing multiwavelength interferometric imaging data

• US 20060181714A1
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Coherix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Coherix Incorporated
• Inventors: Furtwangler, Steven Clair, Pawlanta, Brett Allen, Mater, Michael J., Nisper, Jon
• Application Number:
  US11/194,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20060181714A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/512
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2441 using interferometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/306 for measuring evenness
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02007 Two or more frequencies or sources used for interferometric measurement using only beat G01B9/02003
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 9/02087 Combining two or more images of the same region

Abstract

Data from an imaging interferometer producing at least three interferometric images of a surface of an object using at least three different frequencies of light illuminating the surface of the object is processed through a software data processing pipeline architecture which uses data processed by a plurality of data processors to generate a three dimensional surface profile of the surface of the object.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a) an imaging interferometer, wherein the imaging interferometer produces at least three interferometric images of a surface of an object using at least three different frequencies of light illuminating the surface of the object;

b) a plurality of data processors; and

c) a software data processing pipeline architecture which uses data from the interferometric images processed by the plurality of data processors to generate a three dimensional surface profile of the surface of the object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processing pipeline architecture comprises at least one data input;

a data output;

a data path between the input and output;

wherein at least a first one of the plurality of data processors accesses an output of at least a second one of the data processors execute a data processing task.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the output of the second data processing module is a smoothed interferometric image.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a first data processor is widely spaced apart from at least a second data processor.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first and the second data processors are in communication over the internet.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the three interferometric images is segmented, and data from each segmentation is sent to different data processors of the plurality of data processors.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system scales the workload according to the available processors.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system uses a digital Fourier transform on intensity values measured for each of the at least three frequencies of light for each of a plurality of pixels of the at least three interferometric images.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein local processors directing interferometric image acquisition systems are reprogrammed over the internet.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein interferometric image acquisition system is recalibrated over the internet.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein an estimated value of the frequency of at least one of the at least three frequencies of light is corrected by an iteration procedure according to a statistical measure derived from the output of at least one of the plurality of data processors.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein an estimated value of the phase of the light of at least one of the at least three frequencies of light is corrected by an iteration procedure according to a statistical measure derived from the output of at least one of the plurality of data processors.