An Optical Diffraction System for Industrial Application
Abstract
Optical diffraction patterns yield valuable information on structural symmetry, and can therefore provide immediate checks of production quality in manufacturing processes. A simple, robust and relatively cheap arrangement for rapid, in situ recording of diffraction patterns will be described. The light source consists of a He-Ne laser of appropriately chosen spectral region (green, yellow, orange or red), fitted with a spatial filter, while the CCD detector consists of a linear array of 2048 pixels with 14 μm/pixel spacing and 6 μs/pixel readout time to a Tektronix TDS 210 digital oscilloscope connected to a computer for signal analysis. As proof-of-principle, we have recorded a number of “classical” diffraction patterns (knife-edge, wire, rectangular aperture, and occluding sphere), which yield excellent agreement with standard Fresnel diffraction theory. This comparison shows the versatility and general reliability of the apparatus for determining unknown patterns.
- Publication:
-
Physica Scripta Volume T
- Pub Date:
- 2001
- DOI:
- 10.1238/Physica.Topical.097a00131
- Bibcode:
- 2001PhST...97..131C
- Keywords:
-
- 42.25.Fx;
- 42.87.-d