Effect of asymmetrical transfer coefficients of a non-polarizing beam splitter on the nonlinear error of the polarization interferometer

Abstract

The mechanism of a non-polarizing beam splitter (NPBS) with asymmetrical transfer coefficients causing the rotation of polarization direction is explained in principle, and the measurement nonlinear error caused by NPBS is analyzed based on Jones matrix theory. Theoretical calculations show that the nonlinear error changes periodically, and the error period and peak values increase with the deviation between transmissivities of p-polarization and s-polarization states. When the transmissivity of p-polarization is 53% and that of s-polarization is 48%, the maximum error reaches 2.7 nm. The imperfection of NPBS is one of the main error sources in simultaneous phase-shifting polarization interferometer, and its influence can not be neglected in the nanoscale ultra-precision measurement.

Keywords

Polarization Direction / Nonlinear Error / Light Vector / Main Error Source / Linear Polarization State

References

[1] ZhongZ., TanJ.-b., ChenH.-f., ShanM.-g.. Journal of Optoelectronics · Laser, 2005, 16: 817

[2] YangH.-x., TanJ.-b., HuP.-c., FuH.. Journal of Optoeletronics · Laser, 2008, 19: 914

[3] JooK., EllisJ. D., BuiceE. S., SpronckJ. W., SchmidtR. M.. Optics Express, 2010, 18: 1159

[4] SmytheR., MooreR.. Optical Engineering, 1984, 23: 361

[5] SivakumarN. R., HuiW., VenkatakrishnanK., NgoiB. K. A.. Optical Engineering, 2003, 42: 367

[6] YangJ., LiuZ.-h., YuanL.-b.. Acta Photonica Sinica, 2008, 37: 364

[7] M. Born and E. Wolf, Principles of Optics, Seventh Edition, Cambridge University Press, 1999.

This work has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50905048).