Single-beam photothermal measurement apparatus and measurement method for absorptive defects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12099002-B2
Application number	US-202117566675-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2021
Priority date	May 11, 2020
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A single-beam photothermal measurement apparatus and a measurement method for absorptive defects. The apparatus comprises a common-path-type structure and a non-common-path-type structure. The present invention is simple in optical structure and convenient to align and adjustment. The measurement result is stable, and measurement signal anomalies caused by environmental vibration and sample tilt are avoided. By detecting a power change on the edge of a beam spot, the measurement sensitivity of a system is remarkably improved.

First claim

We claim:

1. A single-beam photothermal measurement apparatus for absorptive defects, comprising
a laser ( 1 ),
a beam expander ( 2 ),
a power controller ( 3 ),
a beam splitter ( 4 ),
a power meter ( 5 ),
a chopper ( 6 ),
a polarization beam splitter ( 7 ),
a quarter-wave plate ( 8 ),
a mirror ( 9 ),
a galvanometer scanner ( 10 ),
a scanning lens ( 11 ),
a converging lens ( 13 ),
an obstruction aperture ( 14 ),
a photoelectric detector ( 15 ),
a lock-in amplifier ( 16 ),
an XYZ translation stage ( 17 ), and
a computer ( 18 ),
wherein a sample ( 12 ) is placed on the XYZ translation stage ( 17 );
the beam expander ( 2 ), the power controller ( 3 ), and the beam splitter ( 4 ) are sequentially arranged along a direction of a beam emitted by the laser ( 1 ), the beam splitter ( 4 ) divides an incident beam into a first reflected light and a second transmitted light with different intensities, wherein the intensity of the first reflected light is less than the intensity of the second transmitted light, the power meter ( 5 ) is arranged along a direction of the first reflected light, and the chopper ( 6 ), the polarization beam splitter ( 7 ), the quarter-wave plate ( 8 ), the mirror ( 9 ), the galvanometer scanner ( 10 ), and the scanning lens ( 11 ) are sequentially arranged along a direction of the second transmitted light;
the second transmitted light is modulated by the chopper ( 6 ) to form a modulated incident light;
the modulated incident light passes through the polarization beam splitter ( 7 ) to output a p-polarized light, and the p-polarized light subsequently passes through the quarter-wave plate ( 8 ) to output a circularly polarized light;
the circularly polarized light passes through the galvanometer scanner ( 10 ) and the scanning lens ( 11 ) and then is focused on a surface of the sample ( 12 ) to output a third reflected light;
the surface of the sample ( 12 ) generates thermal deformation under laser irradiation;
the third reflected light is modulated by the thermal deformation and sequentially passes through the scanning lens ( 11 ), the galvanometer scanner ( 10 ), the reflecting mirror ( 9 ), and the quarter-wave plate ( 8 ) to form an s-polarized light;
the s-polarized light is reflected by the polarization beam splitter ( 7 ) to output a fourth reflected light, and then, the fourth reflected light is focused by the converging lens ( 13 ) to output a focused beam;
after the focused beam passes through the obstruction aperture ( 14 ), the focused beam forms a focused beam spot, and part of the focused beam on edges of the focused beam spot is received by the photoelectric detector ( 15 );
a modulation frequency of the chopper ( 6 ) is taken as a reference signal and is input into a second input end of the lock-in amplifier ( 16 ) via a cable;
a signal collected by the photoelectric detector ( 15 ) is taken as a measurement signal and is input into a first input end of the lock-in amplifier ( 16 ); and
control signal output ends of the computer ( 18 ) are respectively connected to a control end of the XYZ translation stage ( 17 ) and a control end of the galvanometer scanner ( 10 ), and an output end of the lock-in amplifier ( 16 ) is connected to an input end of the computer ( 18 ).

2. The single-beam photothermal measurement apparatus for absorptive defects of claim 1 , wherein the obstruction aperture ( 14 ) is prepared as follows:
plating circular aluminum film or chromium film on a surface of circular fused silica glass to form a coated area with a thickness of 0.5 mm;
wherein a transmittance of the coated area is less than or equal to 0.01%; and
a radius of the coated area is greater than a beam waist radius of the beam spot incident to the obstruction aperture ( 14 ), the beam spot passes through the obstruction aperture to output a passing beam, and a power of the passing beam is less than 1% of a power of the beam spot incident to the obstruction aperture ( 14 ).

3. A measurement method for surface absorptive defects of an optical element by using the single-beam photothermal measurement apparatus for absorptive defects of claim 1 , comprising:
(i) placing the sample ( 12 ) on an XYZ translation stage ( 17 ), and moving the sample ( 12 ) along a Z direction, such that the surface of the sample ( 12 ) is adjacent to a focal point of the scanning lens ( 11 );
(ii) setting a modulation frequency of the chopper ( 6 ) to be f, and setting a demodulation frequency of the lock-in amplifier ( 16 ) to be 2 times of the modulation frequency of the chopper ( 6 ), that is, 2f;
(iii) driving, by the computer ( 18 ), an internal scanning reflecting mirror of the galvanometer scanner ( 10 ), such that the focused beam spot moves along X and Y directions on the surface of the sample to form raster scanning; a stepping distance of the focused beam spot moving along the X and Y directions being a diameter of the focused beam spot on the surface of the sample ( 12 );
(iv) at a measurement point, inputting a measurement signal of the photoelectric detector ( 15 ) into the lock-in amplifier ( 16 ), and after being demodulated by the lock-in amplifier ( 16 ), outputting an amplitude of a second harmonic wave (2f) of the measurement signal to the computer ( 18 ); recording, by the computer ( 18 ), the amplitude of the measurement point in real time;
(v) moving, by the XYZ translation stage ( 17 ), the sample ( 12 ) to a next measurement area along the X or Y direction, and returning to the step (iii) until all measurements of the sample ( 12 ) are completed; and
(vi) drawing, by the computer ( 18 ), recorded signal amplitudes into an absorptive defect two-dimensional distribution graph and performing analysis, giving an analysis report, and completing an absorption defect test of the sample ( 12 ).

Assignees

• Shanghai Inst Optics & Fine Mech Cas
• Shanghai Hengyi Optics And Fine Mech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Liu Shijie
• Ni Kaizao
• Shao Jianda
• Wang Weiwei
• Xu Tianzhu
• Li Yingjia
• Lu Qi

Classifications

• G02B27/286

  for controlling or changing the state of polarisation, e.g. transforming one polarisation state into another (G02B5/3083 takes precedence; light guide coupling means utilising polarising elements G02B6/34) · CPC title

• G02B27/283

  used for beam splitting or combining · CPC title

• G02B27/14

  operating by reflection only · CPC title

• G02B26/105

  with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors (G02B26/101 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N2201/0636

  Reflectors · CPC title