Methods and apparatus for analyzing mirror reflectance

• US 6,987,566 B1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US10/304,768
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 356364-369
• US Class Current: 356/369
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 11/005 Testing of reflective surfaces, e.g. mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/21 Polarisation-affecting properties G01N21/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/55 Specular reflectivity

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are described for assessing the reflective properties of mirrors at different angles of incidence without precise knowledge of the mirror'"'"'s basic optical constants and/or without precise knowledge of the mirror'"'"'s over-coating prescription. Reflectance values can be accurately calculated for multiple angles of incidence based upon measurement data collected for a single angle of incidence. The approach uses equations based on the Fresnel equations for reflectance in which reflectance is calculated as a function of the angle of incidence of incoming light to the scanned mirror used to collect the signal. The angle of incidence-based approach allows accurate reflectance values to be calculated over a broad range of wavelengths and angle of incidences without detailed knowledge of the optical properties of the coating material and the substrate underneath. The described methods and apparatus are particularly useful for calibrating measurements made with remote sensing instruments that use scanned mirrors.

Claims

1. A method of determining the reflectance of a mirror as a function of angle of incidence, comprising:

(a) measuring the P-polarization reflectance of the mirror at a reference angle of incidence relative to the normal of a reflective surface of the mirror;

(b) measuring the S-polarization reflectance of the mirror;

(c) computing an approximation of at least one of the S-polarization reflectance and the P-polarization reflectance at a proximate angle of incidence other than the reference angle from the measured S-polarization and P-polarization reflectances.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (h) includes measuring the S-polarization reflectance of the mirror at the reference angle of incidence.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein (c) includes computing an approximation of at least one of the S-polarization reflectance and the P-polarization reflectance over a range of angles of incidence from the measured S-polarization and P-polarization reflectances.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) are repeated at a plurality of wavelengths of incident light.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) correcting measurements of a signal received via the scanning mirror in accordance with at least one of S-polarization and P-polarization reflectances computed in (c).

6. The method or claim 1, wherein a calculated reflectance value calculated for the reference angle of incidence is compared to at least one measured reflectance value measured at the reference angle of incidence to calculate a scalar value that is applied to reflectance values calculated for the reference angle of incidence for other wavelengths.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein (c) includes treating the measured S-polarization reflectance of the mirror as an approximation of the P-polarization reflectance at normal incidence.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising computing a value of α

(λ

) determined by $\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}<br><br>\left(\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}\right)=\frac{\ln <br><br>\left[R_P<br><br>\left(\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}\right)/R_0<br><br>\left(\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}\right)\right]}{1-\sec <br><br>\left({\mathrm{\theta <br><br>}}_R\right)};<br><br>$

wherein θ

_R is the reference angle of incidence, R_p(λ

) is the P-polarization reflectance measured at the reference angle of incidence θ

_R at a wavelength λ

, and R₀(λ

) is the P-polarization reflectance at normal incidence approximated by the S-polarization reflectance measured at the reference angle of incidence θ

_R.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein the P-polarization reflectance of the mirror at the proximate angle of incidence θ

_p is approximated by

R_P(λ

)=R₀(λ

)e<sup>−

α

(λ

)(sec(θ

p)−

1)</sup>.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the value calculated for α

(λ

) is scaled, based upon an assessment of computed reflectance values with respect to measured reflectance values.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein α

(λ

) is approximated for the proximate angle of incidence based upon an assessment of values of α

(λ

) calculated for a plurality of reference angles of incidence.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein α

(λ

) is approximated for the proximate angle of incidents based upon an average of values of α

(λ

) calculated for a plurality or reference angles of incidence.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein α

(λ

) is approximated for the proximate angle of incidence based upon an equation fitted to values of α

(λ

) calculated for a plurality of reference angles of incidence.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) are repeated at a plurality of wavelengths of incident light.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein, for a given α

, α

(λ

) is assumed to be constant for a range of angles of incidence.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the range of angles of incidence for which α

(λ

) is considered constant is based upon an assessment of values of α

(λ

) calculated for a plurality of reference angles of incidence.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the assessment of values of α

(λ

) is a statistical assessment.

18. The method of claim 8,

wherein the S-polarization reflectance of the mirror at the proximate angle of incidence θ

_p is approximated by

R_S(λ

)=R₀(λ

)e<sup>−

α

(λ

)(cos(θ

)−

1)</sup>.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein α

(λ

) is approximated for the proximate angle of incidence based upon an average of values of α

(λ

) calculated for a plurality of reference angles of incidence.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein α

(λ

) is approximated for the proximate angle of incidence based upon an equation fitted to values of α

(λ

) calculated for a plurality of reference angles of incidence.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) are repeated at a plurality of wavelengths of incident light.

22. An apparatus for determining the reflectance of a mirror as a function of angle of incidence, comprising;

a detector that measures an S-polarization reflectance and a P-polarization reflectance of light reflected from a mirror at a reference angle of incidence; and

a processor that computes an approximation of at least one of the S-polarization reflectance and the P-polarization reflectance at a proximate angle of incidence other than the reference angle of incidence from the measured S-polarization and P-polarization reflectances.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the processor computes an approximation of at least one of the S-polarization reflectance and the P-polarization reflectance over a range of angles of incidence from the measured S-polarization and P-polarization reflectances.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the detector measures S-polarization and P-polarization reflectance values for the mirror at the reference angle at a plurality of wavelengths of incident light, and wherein said processor computes an approximation of at least one of the S-polarization reflectance and the P-polarization reflectance at the proximate angle of incidence from the S-polarization and P-polarization reflectances measured at the reference angle of incidence at the plurality of wavelengths of incident light.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the processor corrects measurements of a signal received from the detector using at least one of the S-polarization reflectance and the P-polarization reflectance computed at the proximate angle of incidence.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the processor compares a calculated reflectance value calculated for the reference angle of incidence to at least one measured reflectance value measured at the reference angle of incidence to determine a scalar value that is applied to reflectance values calculated for the reference angle of incidence for other wavelengths.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the processor uses the S-polarization reference of the mirror measured at the reference angle of incidence as an approximation of the P-polarization reflectance at normal incidence.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the processor computes a value of α

(λ

) determined by $\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}<br><br>\left(\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}\right)=\frac{\ln <br><br>\left[R_P<br><br>\left(\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}\right)/R_0<br><br>\left(\mathrm{\lambda <br><br>}\right)\right]}{1-\sec <br><br>\left({\mathrm{\theta <br><br>}}_R\right)};<br><br>$

wherein θ

_R is the reference angle of incidence, R_p(λ

) is the P-polarization reflectance measured at the reference angle of incidence θ

_R at a wavelength λ

, and R_p(λ

) is the P-polarization reflectance at normal incidence approximated by the S-polarization reflectance measured at the reference angle or incidence θ

_R.

29. The apparatus of claim 28,

wherein the processor approximates P-polarization reflectance of the mirror at the proximate angle of incidence θ

_p as

R_p(λ

)=R₀(λ

)e<sup>−

α

(λ

)sec(θ

p)−

1)</sup>.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor scales the value calculated for α

(λ

) based upon an assessments of computed reflectance values with respect to measured reflectance values.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor approximates α

(λ

) for the proximate angle of incidence based upon an assessment of values of α

(λ

) calculated for a plurality of reference angles of incidence.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor approximates α

(λ

) for the proximate angle of incidence based upon an average of values of α

(λ

) calculated for a plurality of reference angles of incidence.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor approximates α

(λ

) for the proximate angle of incidence based upon an equation fitted to values of α

(λ

) calculated for a plurality of reference angles of incidence.

34. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processor computes an approximation of at least one of the S-polarization reflectance and the P-polarization reflectance over a range of angles of incidence from the S-polarization and P-polarization reflectances measured at the reference angle of incidence for a plurality of wavelengths of incident light.

35. The apparatus of claim 28,

wherein the processor approximates S-polarization reflectance of the mirror at a proximate agile of incidence θ

_p as

R_s(λ

)=R_o(λ

)e<sup>−

α

(λ

)(cos(θ

)−

1)</sup>.

36. An apparatus for determining the reflectance of a mirror as a function of angle of incidence comprising:

a mirror that receives and reflects incident light;

a controller that controls positioning of the mirror;

a detector that measures an S-polarization reflectance and a P-polarization reflectance of light reflected from a mirror at a reference angle of incidence; and

a processor that computes an approximation of at least one of the S-polarization reflectance and the P-polarization reflectance at a proximate angle of incidence other than the reference angle of incidence from the measure S-polarization and P-polarization reflectances.